coffee table
Americannoun
noun
-
a low table, on which newspapers, etc, may be placed and coffee served
-
(modifier) implying an emphasis on appearance and style over substance
coffee-table music
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of coffee table
First recorded in 1875–80
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.
When did you last buy a hardback and what was it – a cookbook, a coffee table book or fiction?
From BBC ● May 24, 2026
On the coffee table lay a large format book titled “The World’s Most Beautiful Paintings,” or something similar.
From Salon ● Apr. 19, 2026
On a notebook on her coffee table, she wrote Cynthia Renee Ortiz, doodling hearts around her prospective married name.
From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026
On either side are striped linen armchairs, and a wooden coffee table from Facebook Marketplace completes the look, giving the room a relaxed coastal feel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 28, 2026
She collected green and blue pieces in a big bowl on the coffee table.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
