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 The cafe was cited by county health officials for moldy foods and improper food safety procedures. — Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 7 Mar. 2025 Most Popular Most Popular A new CT cafe and bakery has a drive-through. — Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 5 Mar. 2025 Jurors heard testimony about how the mob ran its underground gambling rooms out of nondescript spots, like an office building, a cafe and gelato shop. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 5 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for café
  1. cabaret
  2. tavern
  3. restaurant
  4. nightclub
  5. saloon
  6. diner
  7. club
  8. pub
Noun
  • There will also be eight bars, including a 1930s speakeasy and a Parisian-style cabaret hall inspired by iconic spots like the Moulin Rouge.
    — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2025
  • In New York, the whole cabaret scene and the tiny club scene were full of gay people.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 12 Feb. 2025
Definition of cabaret
Noun
  • Visitors will find a 20-acre nature preserve, along with shops and restaurants, including The Citizen, a coastal tavern.
    — Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
  • After starting the tavern, his father added carryout business and in 1960 moved the store to a large building in Old Town at 756 W. North Ave.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of tavern
Noun
  • He was spotted by security cameras filling up his car at a gas station near the restaurant at about 8:30 a.m.
    — Alex Gurley, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
  • Retailers, restaurants and airlines are among the businesses that have been pulling back on free perks, from complimentary birthday coffees to free package returns, since the pandemic ended.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 15 Mar. 2025
Definition of restaurant
Noun
  • Fair enough: pop culture gets very excited when the children of celebrities step into their parents’ shoes–but there will always be an unknown, sipping in the corner of a nightclub, destined for their own shot at fame.
    — Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 12 Mar. 2025
  • Valentino’s show took place in a bathroom — specifically, the replicated stalls, sinks and tiles typical of a nightclub, as designer Alessandro Michele sought to blur the lines between public and private.
    — Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of nightclub
Noun
  • The whole place is giving Old West saloon, which is only fitting in a national park-bordering town known for campy, retro-chic neon signage, and diners.
    — Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2025
  • The style of the ’60s S-Type sports saloon—bold and feline when introduced—just looked frumpy on the new model of the same name that was launched in 1999 and intended to take on BMW’s world-beating 5-Series.
    — Ben Oliver, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2025
Definition of saloon
Noun
  • While at a local diner, waiting for his friend to receive medical care, Amziah runs into his estranged foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass in a performance of homey authenticity).
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025
  • This was certainly my experience when, in high school in 2005, some friends and I sneakily purchased a pack of cigarettes from a vending machine in a twenty-four-hour diner.
    — Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
Definition of diner
Noun
  • His crowning achievement came in 2021 when Tampa’s dominant defense led the club to a 31-9 Super Bowl LV win over Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
    — Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 8 Mar. 2025
  • Sports, to a club that is reportedly continuing to explore the veteran trade route after missing on Matthew Stafford.
    — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2025
Definition of club
Noun
  • Sara met Garrett in March 2019 on St. Patrick’s Day at a Fort Worth pub.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2025
  • End your day by eating at The Brickhouse Run, a delightful British-American hybrid pub or revel in a relaxing meal with excellent service at Shirley’s Restaurant and Bar located inside Hotel Petersburg.
    — Jennifer Prince, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2025
Definition of pub

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Cite this Entry

“Café.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caf%C3%A9. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

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