espresso
Americannoun
PLURAL
espressos-
a strong coffee prepared by forcing live steam under pressure, or boiling water, through ground dark-roast coffee beans.
-
a cup of this coffee.
noun
-
strong coffee made by forcing steam or boiling water through ground coffee beans
-
an apparatus for making coffee in this way
Usage
What does espresso mean? Espresso is a kind of strong coffee made by forcing steam or boiling water through ground, dark-roast coffee beans.The word espresso often refers to a cup of espresso, as in I like to have an espresso after dinner.It can also refer to an espresso machine, as in I got an espresso so now I can make my favorite drinks at home. Espresso is so strong that it’s usually served in a very small cup. Sometimes, people have a “shot” of espresso by itself or added to their coffee to make it stronger.A cappuccino is espresso with foamed milk.A somewhat common variant of espresso is expresso. More about that below.Example: When it comes to coffee, I love espresso—the stronger the better!
Etymology
Origin of espresso
First recorded in 1940–45; from Italian (caffè) espresso “pressed (coffee),” past participle of esprimere “to press out,” from Latin exprimere; express ( def. )
Compare meaning
How does espresso 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.
You could argue that the first viral example of this experimentation was the espresso martini, whose rise in popularity coincided with the expansion of the coffee liquor market.
From Salon
Videos of robots folding laundry or brewing espresso have flooded social-media feeds, while investors have poured billions of dollars into development.
Her colleague, Christopher Abbott, was assessing the spread of carbs, dairy, prosciutto and espresso on the table, declaring it a “nightmare for the gut.”
From New York Times
For that caffeinated jolt: Chocolate espresso martinis are featured at Tapped and Cork and the Ring of Honor Lounge.
From Seattle Times
They sipped espresso between bites of pumpkin pie, figuring out which spices most complemented the coffee.
From Washington Times
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.
