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  • mocha
    mocha
    noun
    Also a seaport in the Republic of Yemen on the Red Sea.
  • Mocha
    Mocha
    noun
    a port in Yemen, on the Red Sea; in the former North Yemen until 1990: formerly important for the export of Arabian coffee. Pop: 14 562 (2005 est)
Synonyms

mocha

American  
[moh-kuh] / ˈmoʊ kə /

noun

  • mochas
    plural
  1. (initial capital letter) Also a seaport in the Republic of Yemen on the Red Sea.

  2. a choice variety of coffee, originally grown in Arabia.

  3. a flavoring obtained from a coffee infusion or a combined infusion of chocolate and coffee.

  4. a brownish chocolate color.

  5. a glove leather, finer and thinner than doeskin, the best grades of which are made from Arabian goatskins.


mocha 1 British  
/ ˈmɒkə /

noun

  1. a strongly flavoured dark brown coffee originally imported from Arabia

  2. a flavouring made from coffee and chocolate

  3. a soft glove leather with a suede finish, made from goatskin or sheepskin

    1. a dark brown colour

    2. ( as adjective )

      mocha shoes

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Mocha 2 British  
/ ˈmɒkə /

noun

  1. a port in Yemen, on the Red Sea; in the former North Yemen until 1990: formerly important for the export of Arabian coffee. Pop: 14 562 (2005 est)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of mocha

1765–75 mocha for def. 2

Explanation

Mocha is a high quality type of coffee made from a specific coffee bean. It's easily confused with the flavored drink also called a mocha, which combines coffee and chocolate. Mocha coffee beans are from the plant species called Coffee arabica, and it was originally only grown in Mocha, Yemen. Most people who order mochas in coffee shops have a more complicated drink in mind: the hot or cold mixture of coffee or espresso, milk, and chocolate. Anything mocha flavored will echo this coffee-chocolate combination, while something mocha colored will be a similar brown shade.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing mocha

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:

I’d order a venti white chocolate mocha with an extra shot of espresso, no whipped cream.

From Los Angeles Times May 15, 2026

You can have that as a latte, you can do it as a mocha or a blended coffee freeze.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 1, 2026

“I have a delicious mocha flavored granola recipe in my new cookbook that utilizes spent coffee grounds to enhance the chocolate flavor,” she said.

From Salon Apr. 9, 2024

Try a rich and invigorating peppermint mocha with a twisty, satisfying mystery.

From Seattle Times Nov. 18, 2023

A glum dusk was settling over London when Obinze walked into the bookshop cafe and sat down to a mocha and a blueberry scone.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

They have recently attacked government-held areas in Hodeida and Taiz provinces and swept down the coast, seizing the port city of Mocha and Zuqar island, north of the Bab al-Mandab, on Thursday.

From Barron's Sep. 11, 2026

The iconic seasonal duo of the Peppermint Mocha Signature Latte and Toasted White Chocolate Signature Latte are also making their grand comeback.

From Salon Oct. 29, 2024

The incident happened roughly 15 nautical miles south-west of the Yemeni city of Mocha.

From BBC Apr. 26, 2024

“We’re currently deciding between Mocha, Karma and Dino.”

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 9, 2024

The fragrant aroma of Mocha, Java and Brazilian coffee beans, ground, mixed and blended until they had achieved a perfect harmony, perfumed the air.

From Oogie Finds Love by Berkeley Livingston

That is particularly true in Kyiv, the capital, where small coffee kiosks staffed by trained baristas serving tasty mochas for less than $2 have become a fixture of the streetscape.

From New York Times Apr. 12, 2024

Talking over our iced mochas, I began to see a consistent pattern in our behavior — extended day-into-evening dates and continued plans to meet up again in the near future.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 24, 2023

I don't necessarily mean seasonal coffee drinks like pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint mochas — though I've definitely had more than one La Colombe peppermint mocha draft latte since Thanksgiving.

From Salon Dec. 26, 2022

Ovechkin doesn’t drink a lot of coffee now, but at the time, he was obsessed with mochas, Willsie recalled.

From Washington Post Dec. 14, 2022

Back in Chicago, I spent summer afternoons shopping for new school clothes or sipping iced mochas with Skye and Madi at my favorite café.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

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