macchiato
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of macchiato
Italian, literally: stained
Explanation
Ordering a macchiato in a cafe means asking for an espresso with a little bit of foamed milk on top. Your macchiato will come in a smaller cup than your friend's latte. If you like the strong coffee taste of espresso but want just a bit of frothy milk along with it, a macchiato might be the perfect drink for you. Or if you prefer steamed milk marked with a small amount of espresso, you could order a latte macchiato instead. In Italian, a caffè macchiato is "stained or marked coffee," from macchiare, "to stain, mark, or smear."
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:
Behind him, a young man stepped over a heap of charred debris, taking care not to spill his latte macchiato.
From Barron's ● May 25, 2026
On Wednesday, he treated himself to an oat-milk macchiato from the coffee shop down the street.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
Plumlee, a bubbly cheer team captain and student body president at Modoc High School, sipped an iced oat milk caramel macchiato.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
He would often swing his legs over an arm of the chair, sipping on a large caramel macchiato with almond milk and extra caramel, friends said.
From New York Times ● Mar. 2, 2023
I sip my decaf caramel macchiato, feeling absolutely lousy.
From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
Starbucks’ plan to win more customers with ube macchiatos and other menu changes, faster service and a revamped loyalty program appears to be paying off.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
I can practically hear those two cackling over their macchiatos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
This week Dunkin’ faced fierce blowback from many of the 18,000 members of a subreddit devoted to the ubiquitous purveyor of caramel swirl macchiatos and pumpkin spice lattes.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2022
Even Rossann Williams, Starbucks’ president of retail for North America, was suddenly working side by side with rank-and-file baristas as they served grande caramel macchiatos.
From Slate ● May 12, 2022
Almost no one takes advantage of Dunkin's now extensive specialty-coffee menu, which includes all manner of flavored lattes and macchiatos.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2021
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.
