coffeehouse

[ kaw-fee-hous, kof-ee- ]

noun

, plural cof·fee·hous·es [kaw, -fee-hou-ziz, kof, -ee-].

1. a public place that specializes in serving coffee and other refreshments and that sometimes provides informal entertainment.
2. (in 17th- and 18th-century England) a similar establishment where groups met for a particular purpose, as for informal discussions or card playing.

verb (used without object)

, cof·fee·housed [kaw, -fee-houzd, kof, -ee-], cof·fee·hous·ing [kaw, -fee-hou-zing, kof, -ee-].

1. Informal. to engage in aimless talk or chitchat.
2. Cards. to make remarks and gestures during play with the purpose of misleading opponents as to the cards one holds.

Other Words From

• coffee·houser noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of coffeehouse¹

First recorded in 1605–15; coffee + house

Example Sentences

He continued: “Today, I’m making a commitment: We’re getting back to Starbucks. We’re refocusing on what has always set Starbucks apart: a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather, and where we serve the finest coffee, handcrafted by our skilled baristas. This is our enduring identity. We will innovate from here.”

From Salon

“I made a commitment that we’d get back to Starbucks, focusing on what has always set Starbucks apart — a welcoming coffeehouse where people gather and we serve the finest coffee handcrafted by our skilled baristas,” Niccol added.

From Salon

The recent decision comes after years of customer complaints urging the coffeehouse chain to remove the extra fee to cater to a growing number of non-milk drinkers.

From Salon

That coffeehouse on the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank?

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Adlard sat in three local coffee shops, Csons, The Coffee House and The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse to draw the book.

From BBC

Related Words

• coffee bar