sofa
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of sofa
1615–25; < Turkish < Arabic ṣuffah platform used as a seat
Explanation
A sofa is a piece of furniture that a few people can comfortably sit on together. On a rainy weekend, you and your friends might pile on the sofa to watch scary movies and eat popcorn. A sofa is similar to a couch — officially, it needs to seat at least three or more people to qualify as a sofa. If only two people can fit, it's a love seat. And if it's only big enough for you and your pet hedgehog, it's an armchair. Sofas are typically upholstered, with a high back and arms. The word originated from Turkish, from an Arabic root, suffa, "bench of stone or wood."
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:
But Winkleman's own chat show did not last long enough for any more unusual guest combinations on its teal sofa.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
We’d progressed from walking in the park to perching across from each other in my living room to sitting side by side on the family room sofa.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
According to the ministry, a sofa originally listed at 4,500 euros cost taxpayers around 2,000 euros, while a coat rack was reduced from 620 euros to 330 euros.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
A massive aqua sofa in the living room that looks like a long wave because it faces the water.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Everything about it was warm and comfortable, from the pillows on the sofa to the recliner where Michael now sat.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Although the company never spells it out explicitly, Birkin collectors say that shoppers who buy $100,000 sofas and $20,000 watches get offered the bags first.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Television characters sitting around having conversations on sofas has served prolific producer Chuck Lorre very well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
"Wall cabinets, sofas, coffee tables, dining tables, and chairs vanished in an instant. It was as if the entire building had been hollowed out," Wang told the Xiaoxiang Morning Herald.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Taylor started out performing in pubs and bars, sleeping on floors and sofas with his guitar and little else, several decades before Sheeran began his career on a similar path.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
When they had arrived and were comfortably stretched out on the pneumatic sofas in Bernard’s room, Helmholtz began again.
From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley
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.
