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.

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cola ² American  

[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

1. a plural of colon.

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cola ³ American  

[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

1. a plural of colon.

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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.

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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

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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

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cola ³ British  

/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

1. a plural of colon 1 colon 2

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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

It recently unveiled a prebiotic version of its classic Pepsi cola.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

Some Olympic swimmers are turning to drinking cola as a surprising part of their workout regimen.

From Salon • Aug. 8, 2024

If you look hard enough, you can still find American cola in Russian stores.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2024

Children who consumed pure apple juice often followed a diet with more fish, fruit, green vegetables, and salad, whereas those drinking cola ate more burgers, sausages, pizza, french fries, meat, chocolate, and sweets.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2024

Kwasi, a Ghanaian waiter, offers her a bottle of icy cola.

From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins

Related Words

• soda
• soda pop