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Showing results for cola. Search instead for POLCA.
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

Some have even said the water looks like "coca cola".

From BBC • Jun. 29, 2025

For decades, the cola wars played out in Super Bowl commercials and fast food soda fountains, in taste tests and vending machine allegiances.

From Salon • Mar. 24, 2025

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

He recognized the oversweet, slightly cloying taste of supermarket cola and wished he’d asked for water.

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.