coffeehouse
Americannoun
-
a public place that specializes in serving coffee and other refreshments and that sometimes provides informal entertainment.
-
(in 17th- and 18th-century England) a similar establishment where groups met for a particular purpose, as for informal discussions or card playing.
verb (used without object)
-
Informal. to engage in aimless talk or chitchat.
-
Cards. to make remarks and gestures during play with the purpose of misleading opponents as to the cards one holds.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coffeehouse
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.
The beginning of my professional trajectory was spent in Paris, and there is such a coffeehouse culture in Paris, no?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026
"In the mornings, when the school bus comes, dust rises everywhere," Polat, 52, told AFP at a local coffeehouse.
From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026
Schultz piloted the café concept, introduced the loyalty program, and made Starbucks the biggest coffeehouse in China, thanks to an aggressive expansion into the market that historically preferred tea.
From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025
It’s not that unusual to see a famous face at the local coffeehouse, supermarket or power-walking along San Vicente Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025
News of the failed crop came in, and sitting in the coffeehouse, the boys had watched the prices on the chalkboard rise, trying to contain their glee.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
