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Synonyms

cola

1 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a carbonated soft drink containing an extract made from kola nuts or an artificial imitation, together with sweeteners and other flavorings.

cola 2 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon.

cola 3 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon.

COLA 4 American  
[koh-luh] / ˈkoʊ lə /

noun

  1. cost-of-living adjustment: an automatic increase in wages, Social Security, pensions, etc., to cover the rising cost of living due to inflation.

COLA 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. cost of living adjustment: an increase in benefit payments according to the rate of inflation

  2. cost of living allowance: extra money paid to workers in areas where the cost of living is more expensive

"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
cola 2 British  
/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

  1. either of two tropical sterculiaceous trees, Cola nitida or C. acuminata, widely cultivated in tropical regions for their seeds See cola nut

  2. a sweet carbonated drink flavoured with cola nuts

"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
cola 3 British  
/ ˈkəʊlə /

noun

  1. a plural of colon 1 colon 2

"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

Etymology

Origin of cola

First recorded in 1885–90; spelling variant of kola, extracted from the trademark names of such drinks, as Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, etc.

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.

It recently unveiled a prebiotic version of its classic Pepsi cola.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 8, 2025

As for Coca-Cola’s rivals, both PepsiCo and Dr. Pepper have been selling their versions of cola sweetened with cane sugar in the U.S. since 2009.

From Salon • Jul. 23, 2025

Meanwhile toilet tissues, bottled cola and dog food saw the slowest price rises.

From BBC • Aug. 13, 2024

Children who consumed pure apple juice often followed a diet with more fish, fruit, green vegetables, and salad, whereas those drinking cola ate more burgers, sausages, pizza, french fries, meat, chocolate, and sweets.

From Science Daily • Apr. 12, 2024

Then he poured the cola into a potted plant and stood up.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

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.