frappe
noun
a milkshake made with ice cream.
frappe
1 American
[frap]
/ fræp /
noun
Northeastern U.S. (chiefly Eastern New England).
frappé
2
American
[fra-pey, fr a -pey]
/ fræˈpeɪ, fraˈpeɪ /
noun
frappés
plural
-
a fruit juice mixture frozen to a mush, to be served as a dessert, appetizer, or relish.
-
an after-dinner drink consisting of a liqueur, as crème de menthe, poured over cracked or shaved ice.
-
Ballet. a beating of the toe of the working foot against the ankle of the supporting foot.
adjective
verb (used with object)
frappéed,
frappéing
frappé
British
/ frape, ˈfræpeɪ /
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of frappe1
see origin at frappé
Origin of frappé2
1840–50; < French: past participle of frapper to ice, strike
Explanation
If you live in New England, a frappe is a delicious, creamy, frozen drink — in other words, it's a milkshake. Order a frappe at a diner in Idaho, however, and you'll probably get a confused look. The meaning of the word frappe varies depending on what part of the world you're in. In Massachusetts or Maine, ordering a chocolate frappe will result in a milkshake: ice cream that's blended with syrup and sometimes milk which you can sip through a straw. In other areas, a frappe is a frozen coffee drink, a variation on fruity shaved ice, or even a crispy pastry. The French source is frappé, "made cold with ice."
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:
By 8 a.m., she’s out the door, headed first to McDonald’s for a caramel frappe and then to the post office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Meanwhile Costa Coffee's chocolate fudge brownie frappe mocha with oat milk had 42.6g of sugar in the survey.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2023
Sure, they're both iced coffee beverages and have "frappe" in their name.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
Shmuley’s cinnamon dolce latte arrives, as does my frappe.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2012
To frappe a bottle of wine, we stood it on the porch; in a few minutes it would pour crystals.
From Vanished Arizona by Summerhayes, Martha
Alongside standard coffees, Costa serves a variety of frappé and fruit coolers, but these contain syrups and can be topped with whipped cream which may not appeal to the clean-living green-juice sippers among us.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2025
A frappé base is not typically called for in traditional Greek recipes for frappé coffee.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
Wash it down with a coffee frappé or fresh soursop juice.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2020
If you’re feeling really carefree, you can wash down this Korean carny food with a matcha Oreo frappé, but I wouldn’t advise it.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2019
At length the Lector, who had long been frappé with the vocation and the collaboratorship of the singular Schoppe, came, by polite circumlocutions, upon the question, how the Knight had become acquainted with him.
From Titan: A Romance v. 1 (of 2) by Richter, Jean Paul Friedrich
As a result, frappés are regarded to be a Greek specialty and are served as frothy coffee poured over ice cubes.
From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2023
When I learned that matcha was the tea used to make the green-tea frappés and lattes served at Starbucks, I started experimenting at home.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 17, 2021
The slushy-sweet frappés at Okamoto Kitchen, a food truck in Los Angeles, begin with ice — not plain, but enriched with heavy cream, milk powder and simple syrup.
From New York Times ● Aug. 8, 2017
The menu has burgers, of course, but also sandwiches, salads, frappés and such dishes as sloppy Joes and mac and cheese inspired by the brothers’ mom, Alma.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 28, 2016
The freezing of frappés is accomplished rapidly, for, as will be observed from Table I, the proportion of ice and salt used is 1 to 1.
From Woman's Institute Library of Cookery Volume 4: Salads and Sandwiches; Cold and Frozen Desserts; Cakes, Cookies and Puddings; Pastries and Pies by Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
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.
