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:
Explanation
Espresso is an Italian style of coffee that's brewed very strong and served in a small cup. When you add steamed milk to espresso, you get a latte or a cappuccino. Espresso is different from regular American coffee in many ways. It's typically made using dark roasted coffee beans that are very finely ground and brewed in a special espresso machine that forces hot water at high pressure through the ground coffee. The resulting espresso is dark, ideally with a layer of creamy-colored "crema" on the top. In Italian, espresso means "pressed out," from the Latin exprimere, "squeeze out."
Vocabulary lists containing espresso
The Melting Pot: Food Words from Other Languages
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The Thief Lord
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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.
Giovanni Colli, 71, rolling his eyes while sipping an espresso at a café near the Pantheon, says he feels "betrayed."
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
The hitters of lovable Team Italy celebrated home runs with shots of Italian espresso in a dugout dripping with cheek kisses and caffeine.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026
And, they’ll have you know, they figured out how to make the Lavazza espresso a bit cooler.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
Blue Bottle offers customers specialty coffee options, including a sweet and creamy New Orleans-style coffee, as well as espresso drinks and cold brew.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
“It’s chocolate and espresso, I think. You wanna try it?”
From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older
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.
