coffee table

American  

noun

1. a low table, usually placed in front of a sofa, for holding ashtrays, snack bowls, glasses, magazines, etc.

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coffee table British  

noun

1. a low table, on which newspapers, etc, may be placed and coffee served

2. (modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substance

   coffee-table music

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Etymology

Origin of coffee table

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

On a notebook on her coffee table, she wrote Cynthia Renee Ortiz, doodling hearts around her prospective married name.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

I love sitting in front of it reading, with my feet on the coffee table.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

The entrepreneur and fashion brand founder has an enormous pile of the gold-wrapped candies sitting in a bowl on her coffee table, available to her any time she needs a snack.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

In front of us, on a coffee table, rests a pile of family photographs.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025

There are dishes in the sink and papers strewn over the coffee table, and the toaster is in bits.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan