latte
Americannoun
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lattes
plural
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Also called caffè latte. hot espresso with steamed milk, usually topped with foamed milk.
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tea made with steamed milk, usually topped with foamed milk.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of latte
First recorded in 1990–95; from Italian (caffè) latte “(coffee with) milk,” from Latin lac (stem lact- ); cognate with French lait, Portuguese leite, Spanish leche
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How does latte compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A latte is a milky espresso drink you can order at most American cafes. Many lattes have delicate patterns or pictures drawn in the creamy foam on top. The full name of a latte is "caffe latte," which means "milk coffee" in Italian. Other countries have variations on this idea, from France's "café au lait" to Germany's "Milchkaffee." While Caffè latte was used in Italy for milky coffee drinks made in people's homes, it wasn't found until very recently on cafe menus — the latte is more of an American invention. If you order a latte in Italy, in fact, what you'll get is a glass of milk.
Vocabulary lists containing latte
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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.
See Examples For:
All our Instagrams were draped in sepia—grid posts only—where we celebrated latte art and selfies of our knocked knees.
From Slate ● Nov. 4, 2026
A New York Wheels is a macadamia almond milk iced latte to go — “wheels” is the lingo the baristas there use for “to go.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Hoping to inspire her UK followers to experiment with the vegetable, she made a sweetcorn latte inspired by a frappé drink she'd had on her trip, using coconut milk, blended sweetcorn and espresso.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The pumpkin-spice latte effect solves what has previously been a mystery: Why is September the worst month of the calendar for the stock market?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
Vic took another sip of her latte and tapped her long fingers on the table.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
For most of us, autumn means falling leaves, shorter days, returning to school and the more modern tradition of pumpkin spice lattes popping up again.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
This is a remix of the lecture supposedly spoiled millennials, who refused to sacrifice every small pleasure on the altar of homeownership, heard for years about $7 lattes.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
I down three iced lattes daily, a habit I refuse to break even as my bank account groans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Starbucks is gearing up for a return of favorites such as pumpkin spice lattes in the fall and will begin testing sparkling beverages in a few markets, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Now Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and people sipping lattes at Starbucks were talking about the battle for Kunduz, the Taliban’s last stronghold in the north.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
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