café

¹ American  

[ka-fey, kuh-, ka-fey] / kæˈfeɪ, kə-, kaˈfeɪ /

Or cafe

noun

plural

cafés

1. a small, unpretentious restaurant, often with exterior seating on a patio or extending onto the sidewalk.

   Synonyms:

   tearoom, lunchroom, bistro, coffeehouse

2. coffee.

   I pick up a café and a croissant on my commute in to work every morning.

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CAFE ² American  

[ka-fey, kuh-] / kæˈfeɪ, kə- /

noun

1. a U.S. federally mandated standard of average minimum miles-per-gallon fuel consumption for all the cars produced by an automobile manufacturer in a given year.

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café British  

/ ˈkæfeɪ, ˈkæfɪ /

noun

1. a small or inexpensive restaurant or coffee bar, serving light meals and refreshments

2. a corner shop or grocer

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Spelling

See resume ².

Etymology

Origin of café¹

First recorded in 1780–90; from French: literally, “coffee”; coffee

Origin of CAFE²

C(orporate) A(verage) F(uel) E(conomy)

Compare meaning

How does cafe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bistro vs. CAFE
• CAFE vs. coffee shop

Example Sentences

Stacy comes to find tremendous solace in making one’s coffee over a wood-burning stove instead of waiting in line at the local café.

From Salon • Mar. 23, 2026

I had been driving west through downtown and stopped in Chinatown to wait out the morning congestion in a new café that used to be an old bistro.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Montoya felt that opening his café would be welcome, in order to provide "secure area for a lot of friends".

From BBC • Feb. 24, 2026

They had fancy buffet stations, a café, a bar and Ess-a-Bagel.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 20, 2026

“Do you trust me, Miss Martin?” he asks, watching her with the same intense stare from the café, only this time his eyes are barely inches from her own.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern