cognac
noun
the brandy distilled in and shipped from the legally delimited area surrounding the town of Cognac, in W central France.
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cognac
American
[kohn-yak, kon-, kaw-nyak]
/ ˈkoʊn jæk, ˈkɒn-, kɔˈnjak /
noun
-
cognacs
plural
-
(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.
Cognac
British
/ kɔɲak, ˈkɒnjæk /
noun
-
a town in SW France: centre of the district famed for its brandy. Pop: 19 534 (1999)
-
(sometimes not capital) a high-quality grape brandy
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cognac
Borrowed into English from French around 1585–95
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How does cognac compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
The businessman, who made his money in cognac and real estate, had renounced his Ukrainian citizenship some years ago.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
In the two weeks preceding the election, Moscow banned the export of Armenian flowers, mineral water, cognac, fresh vegetables and fruit.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
As he worked his way in closer, Mercader reported to Leonid Eitignon, a Soviet spymaster who “always appeared to be in control. A glass of cognac would last him an entire evening.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026
Sales of cognac dove 23.8 percent to 2.3 billion euros.
From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026
His darling “Lotje” has sent him eggs, butter, cookies, lemonade, bread, cognac, spice cake, flowers, oranges, chocolate, books and writing paper.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Within this Cognac sales were down 0.5% organically to 573.6 million euros, while its partner brand sales were 23% lower at 15.6 million euros.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Thousands of jobs are at stake in the Charente region alone, he says: "Cognac is a product that's made for export."
From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2025
I have zero personal connection to the dish steak Diane, which consists of pan-fried steak served in a piquant sauce made from pan drippings, cream, Cognac, shallots and Worcestershire or Dijon mustard.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
But it felt to me like a warm, tropically humid Art Deco-esque space where one might sip Cognac.
From New York Times ● Aug. 23, 2022
Cognac is famous for the subtle spirit which is sold the world over under that name, and from the fact that it was the birthplace of the art-loving monarch, François Premier.
From The Automobilist Abroad by M. F. (Milburg Francisco) Mansfield
Macron brought up some particularly French concerns, including China’s threat of tariffs on cognacs.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2024
For long, rum has been relegated to the bottom shelf of bar cabinets around the world with whiskeys, cognacs and gins taking prime slots.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2023
There’s a brass lamp from Rick’s, fringed with imitation gemstones, and two rattan chairs where Europe’s desperate and displaced drank their cognacs and plotted their escapes.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2022
Jesse Cyr, the talented barman who made his name at Rob Roy in Belltown, curated this ambitious cocktail and spirits list that features Japanese gin, some stellar cognacs and other vintages and limited releases.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2021
"Then I'll teach you how to test them in future," he laughed, adding, "Henry, bring up those three old cognacs, a bottle of ordinary brandy, and some liqueur-glasses."
From Spies of the Kaiser Plotting the Downfall of England by William Le Queux
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.
