boba
Americannoun
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Also boba tea bubble tea.
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(often used with a plural verb) large, round pearls of tapioca, usually boiled in a sweetened syrup and served in bubble tea.
Etymology
Origin of boba
First recorded in 1995–2000; said to be from a dialectal Chinese source akin to Cantonese bo baa or Mandarin bōbà “tapioca pearl,” colloquially, “big-breasted woman,” equivalent to Cantonese bo “ball, breast” (from English ball 1 ( def. ) ) + baa “overlord, tyrant”
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.
Naoshi’s pieces usually center around a chic ingenue sporting food-focused fashion — think bonnets made of bonbons and boba tea skirts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
If you want to add boba or other types of toppings, or make it a protein-based drink, you can.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
They went out for boba tea and at a sleepover at their grandmother’s, she looked through family albums and held a pillow with his photo printed on it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 30, 2025
On the agenda is an intense morning workout, dinner with loved ones at a Filipino restaurant that reminds him of home and enjoying boba at the park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
Natalie and Shannon had met in homeroom last year at the beginning of sixth grade and had immediately bonded over their shared love of boba tea, K-pop, and extreme weather shows.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
