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• cocoa
  cocoa

  noun

  a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.
• Cocoa
  Cocoa

  noun

  a city in E central Florida.

cocoa

¹ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from roasted, husked, and ground seeds of the cacao, Theobroma cacao, from which much of the fat has been removed.

2. cacao.

3. a beverage made by mixing cocoa powder with hot milk or water.

4. brown; yellowish brown; reddish brown.

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adjective

1. of or relating to cocoa.

2. of the color of cocoa.

cocoa ² American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. coco.

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Cocoa ³ American  

[koh-koh] / ˈkoʊ koʊ /

noun

1. a city in E central Florida.

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cocoa British  

/ ˈkəʊkəʊ /

noun

1. a powder made from cocoa beans after they have been roasted, ground, and freed from most of their fatty oil

2. a hot or cold drink made from cocoa and milk or water

3. 1. a light to moderate brown colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      cocoa paint

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Etymology

Origin of cocoa¹

First recorded in 1700–10; earlier cocao, cacoa, variant of cacao

Origin of cocoa²

1545–55; misspelling of coco, by confusion with cocoa ¹

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Explanation

The dark, chocolate-brown powder you use to make brownies or devil's food cake is called cocoa. Cocoa consists of finely ground roasted cacao beans. You can use cocoa to make many chocolate treats, including pudding, cake, cookies, and hot chocolate — which is also called cocoa. Although cocoa powder smells delicious, it has to be mixed with sugar or some other sweetener for it to taste good. When the word cocoa was first used in the early 18th century, it was based on a mistake, mixing up the letters of cacao, the seed that's used to make cocoa.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cocoa Cocoa

Researchers separated them into three groups and exposed each group to one of three samples: liquified dark chocolate containing 90% cocoa, liquified milk chocolate containing 60% cocoa, or water as a control.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

So I started playing: pumpkin purée for softness, cold coffee to deepen the cocoa, melted butter, two whole zucchini and a frankly generous amount of chocolate.

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

That episode was blamed for chocolate-price inflation after floods followed by dry winds devastated cocoa harvests in key producers Ivory Coast and Ghana.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

“We do not expect cocoa to remain at current levels long-term,” said Hershey Chief Executive Kirk Tanner on an earnings call last month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

I said nothing for a minute, staring at him a long time, trying to memorize every inch of his cocoa brown face; his wide shoulders; his thick, black hair.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

The cocoa was grown at the University of Reading's International Cocoa Quarantine Centre, a collection of more than 300 types of cocoa plant.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

Cocoa extract did not produce a significant improvement in functional health scores across the study population as a whole.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026

Cocoa futures prices surged exponentially in 2024, peaking above $12,000 a metric ton due to poor weather in West African nations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

In both grocery aisles and the public consciousness, items such as avocados and almonds were deemed too fatty to be “healthy,” while Cocoa Puffs and Pop-Tarts technically qualified.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

She sets it on the floor, and she and Cocoa share it.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

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