café

noun

ka-ˈfā How to pronounce café (audio)
variants also cafe
Definition of cafénext
1
as in cabaret
a bar or restaurant offering special nighttime entertainment (as music, dancing, or comedy acts) the café presents nationally known jazz performers in an intimate setting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in tavern
a place of business where alcoholic beverages are sold to be consumed on the premises a speakeasy that became a fashionable café with the repeal of prohibition

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in restaurant
a public establishment where meals are served to paying customers for consumption on the premises they met at a little café in Paris

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of café Even early in the morning, the cafe had locals in doing breakfast meetings. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Oct. 2026 And Canary Wharf has more than doubled the number of retailers, restaurants, bars, and cafes since the pandemic. — Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026 The holding pens are divided into smaller units, used as offices, studios, cafes, clubs and restaurants. — New Atlas, 9 Oct. 2026 Cafe operator Yucel pleaded guilty to six offences in January 2025 after Southwark Council brought a case against the cafe, the outlet added. — Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for café
Recent Examples of Synonyms for café
  1. cabaret
  2. tavern
  3. restaurant
  4. nightclub
  5. saloon
  6. diner
  7. club
  8. pub
Noun
  • Penélope Cruz arrives for a few scenes as a wartime cabaret singer — her performance for a group of cheering soldiers is a burst of bawdy energy.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Brand, then a rising stand-up comedian, was performing in a cabaret on the fringe of the conference in the English coastal town of Bournemouth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of cabaret
Noun
  • What to do nearby A stone’s throw away is the Water Street Market, a complex of shops that includes an antiques mall, the Grazery café, and a neighborhood tavern called Parish.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The restaurant carries the fantasy theme into its food and atmosphere, designed to feel like a tavern straight out of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
    — Beret Leone, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of tavern
Noun
  • Second, as the nation grew wealthier, other employment opportunities for women emerged in the service economy — in retail, restaurants, leisure and hospitality, and even some professional services.
    — Steve Liesman, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2026
  • The restaurant specializes in pizza with classic Indian flavors.
    — Emma Hall, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of restaurant
Noun
  • Morning shows looped footage of Guilfoyle’s appearances outside nightclubs, at public events and at a July 4 party where the Greek military arranged a fighter jet flyover.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Lil Baby, a 2022 Grammy winner whose given name is Dominique Jones, performed the night of the game at the Grand nightclub in San Francisco before heading to the Dahlia Lounge, where strippers entertained on the main floor.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of nightclub
Noun
  • The saloon is equipped with all manner of armor and other safety gadgetry but looks almost identical to the standard version of the brand’s luxury flagship.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • With only a few hundred locals and one saloon in town, there wasn’t much distraction.
    — Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of saloon
Noun
  • Without another person’s preferences to weigh, diners can set their own pace or try restaurants that might not appeal to their usual companions.
    — Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Slowly, always slowly, and always in the company of a human server, the robot transports dishes to diners’ tables, where the human server distributes them.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of diner
Noun
  • The task force wondered why a sports facility at a state university wouldn’t be funded by state appropriations and university boosters’ clubs.
    — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The club has consistently overachieved in recent seasons despite modest resources, first under coach Christian Streich, now under his former captain Julian Schuster, who took over from the veteran in 2024.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of club
Noun
  • The Tap on the Line (pictured above) is the only pub in the capital which sits directly on a tube station platform, and is one of the last remaining 19th-century stations.
    — Will Barker, TheWeek, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The profession initially had been a blue-collar job, and in its origins in the Northeast, going to the pub and drinking after a long day of work was customary.
    — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of pub

Browse Nearby Words

caesuras
café
cafés
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Cite this Entry

“Café.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caf%C3%A9. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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