coffee table
Americannoun
noun
-
a low table, on which newspapers, etc, may be placed and coffee served
-
(modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substance
coffee-table music
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coffee table
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Simply put: When putting together your dinner party menu, don’t consult that one unopened cookbook that’s been collecting dust on your coffee table.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
When did you last buy a hardback and what was it – a cookbook, a coffee table book or fiction?
From BBC • May 24, 2026
On a notebook on her coffee table, she wrote Cynthia Renee Ortiz, doodling hearts around her prospective married name.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
On either side are striped linen armchairs, and a wooden coffee table from Facebook Marketplace completes the look, giving the room a relaxed coastal feel.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2026
She continues her pacing and almost collides with the coffee table.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
