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  • cola
    cola
    noun
    a carbonated soft drink containing an extract made from kola nuts or an artificial imitation, together with sweeteners and other flavorings.
  • COLA
    COLA
    noun
    cost-of-living adjustment: an automatic increase in wages, Social Security, pensions, etc., to cover the rising cost of living due to inflation.
Synonyms

cola

1 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a carbonated soft drink containing an extract made from kola nuts or an artificial imitation, together with sweeteners and other flavorings.


cola 2 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon.


cola 3 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon.


COLA 4 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. cost-of-living adjustment: an automatic increase in wages, Social Security, pensions, etc., to cover the rising cost of living due to inflation.


COLA 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. cost of living adjustment: an increase in benefit payments according to the rate of inflation

  2. cost of living allowance: extra money paid to workers in areas where the cost of living is more expensive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cola 2 British  
/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

  1. either of two tropical sterculiaceous trees, Cola nitida or C. acuminata, widely cultivated in tropical regions for their seeds See cola nut

  2. a sweet carbonated drink flavoured with cola nuts

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cola 3 British  
/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon 1 colon 2

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cola

First recorded in 1885–90; spelling variant of kola, extracted from the trademark names of such drinks, as Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, etc.

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:

As part of the new proposals, packs would need to be plain with strict limits on branding and only simple flavour descriptions like "apple" or "cola" used.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

It was a citrus-spiked cola in a jaunty blue can.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Research reviews show caffeine from coffee, cola, energy drinks, and chocolate can raise systolic blood pressure by 3-15 and diastolic blood pressure by 4-13 after consumption.

From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026

For instance, PepsiCo has its own namesake prebiotic cola with fiber, which it made available nationwide in February.

From MarketWatch ● May 10, 2026

It is shaped like a can of cola.

From "Krik? Krak!" by Edwidge Danticat

And they still hope for a bigger COLA.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Energy markets and oil prices also play an important role in influencing the COLA.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Johnson’s estimates are usually spot on with regard to the actual COLA.

From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026

If inflation continues to fall, next year’s Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, will be less than this year’s.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 13, 2026

The proposed reforms come as Social Security recently announced its annual COLA, which will add 2.8% to beneficiaries’ benefits starting in January 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025

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