cognac
Americannoun
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(often initial capital letter) the brandy distilled in and shipped from the legally delimited area surrounding the town of Cognac, in W central France.
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any French brandy.
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any good brandy.
noun
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a town in SW France: centre of the district famed for its brandy. Pop: 19 534 (1999)
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(sometimes not capital) a high-quality grape brandy
Etymology
Origin of cognac
Borrowed into English from French around 1585–95
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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 business booked sales growth of 11% over the quarter through March, boosted by Lunar New Year travelers buying cognac and a pickup in growth in sales on ocean cruises.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
Sales of cognac dove 23.8 percent to 2.3 billion euros.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
There's a 1912 cognac, from the birth year of the president's Scottish-born mother.
From BBC • Sep. 17, 2025
As you might have guessed, this is made from sparkling wine, and despite its name, it does not include any of the typical players most often found in sangria, like brandy, cognac or cinnamon sticks.
From Salon • Dec. 28, 2023
“Cheery oh. Cheery oh to you, Miss. What a lovely girl. I will bring you better cognac than that.”
From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway
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.
