mocha
Americannoun
-
mochas
plural
-
(initial capital letter) Also a seaport in the Republic of Yemen on the Red Sea.
-
a choice variety of coffee, originally grown in Arabia.
-
a flavoring obtained from a coffee infusion or a combined infusion of chocolate and coffee.
-
a brownish chocolate color.
-
a glove leather, finer and thinner than doeskin, the best grades of which are made from Arabian goatskins.
noun
-
a strongly flavoured dark brown coffee originally imported from Arabia
-
a flavouring made from coffee and chocolate
-
a soft glove leather with a suede finish, made from goatskin or sheepskin
-
-
a dark brown colour
-
( as adjective )
mocha shoes
-
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mocha
1765–75 mocha for def. 2
Explanation
Mocha is a high quality type of coffee made from a specific coffee bean. It's easily confused with the flavored drink also called a mocha, which combines coffee and chocolate. Mocha coffee beans are from the plant species called Coffee arabica, and it was originally only grown in Mocha, Yemen. Most people who order mochas in coffee shops have a more complicated drink in mind: the hot or cold mixture of coffee or espresso, milk, and chocolate. Anything mocha flavored will echo this coffee-chocolate combination, while something mocha colored will be a similar brown shade.
Vocabulary lists containing mocha
English Food and Drink Words Derived from Arabic
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Brown
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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:
You can have that as a latte, you can do it as a mocha or a blended coffee freeze.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
You may have to hold off on your first taste of Starbucks’ peppermint mocha this year.
From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2025
They’re brewed here by the potful, along with Bold Black Mamba — a nod to “Kill Bill” — plus cold brew and sweetened coffee concoctions such as lavender vanilla, raspberry mocha and butterscotch caramel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Try a rich and invigorating peppermint mocha with a twisty, satisfying mystery.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 18, 2023
DuShawn: And Royal's got skin the color of mocha latte, man.
From "The Misfits" by James Howe
![]()
Myanmar's Sai Zaw Thaike, a photojournalist with the independent Myanmar Now outlet, who was arrested in 2023, while covering the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha, will also be decorated.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Peppermint Mocha, which has been on Starbucks’ holiday menu for more than two decades, will be available in three options: hot, iced or as a Frappuccino.
From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2024
“We’re currently deciding between Mocha, Karma and Dino.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2024
Weeks before that, powerful Cyclone Mocha destroyed many of their homes.
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2023
A good proportion is: to one pound of Java add about four ounces of Mocha, and four ounces of one or two other kinds.
From Hand-Book of Practical Cookery for Ladies and Professional Cooks by Pierre Blot
That is particularly true in Kyiv, the capital, where small coffee kiosks staffed by trained baristas serving tasty mochas for less than $2 have become a fixture of the streetscape.
From New York Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
Talking over our iced mochas, I began to see a consistent pattern in our behavior — extended day-into-evening dates and continued plans to meet up again in the near future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2023
I don't necessarily mean seasonal coffee drinks like pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint mochas — though I've definitely had more than one La Colombe peppermint mocha draft latte since Thanksgiving.
From Salon ● Dec. 26, 2022
Ovechkin doesn’t drink a lot of coffee now, but at the time, he was obsessed with mochas, Willsie recalled.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2022
Back in Chicago, I spent summer afternoons shopping for new school clothes or sipping iced mochas with Skye and Madi at my favorite café.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
![]()
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.