coffeehouse
Americannoun
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a public place that specializes in serving coffee and other refreshments and that sometimes provides informal entertainment.
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(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)
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Informal. to engage in aimless talk or chitchat.
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Cards. to make remarks and gestures during play with the purpose of misleading opponents as to the cards one holds.
Other Word Forms
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Nouns
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.
Starbucks has banked on higher service standards and warmer coffeehouse vibes as part of its effort to recharge sales.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026
To succeed, Starbucks must pull off a delicate balancing act: revive the classic coffeehouse atmosphere while reminding customers that it also offers an entirely different universe of beverages and snacks tailored to the afternoon.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Consider Joseph Morgan III. Born in 1780 into a Welsh immigrant family that became successful Massachusetts farmers, he sold the farm and invested in a Hartford, Conn., coffeehouse and stagecoach line.
From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026
Some customers agree that the strike is the thing keeping them from returning to the leather-clad clutches of the coffeehouse.
From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025
The room above our coffeehouse was not large.
From "Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
