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noun B2 Upper-Intermediate Uncommon

cocoa

KOH-koh

Cocoa (noun) means a brown powder made from roasted, ground cacao beans, used to make chocolate and in baking. Example: “Sift the cocoa powder into the cake batter.”

noun
1
A brown powder made from roasted, ground cacao beans, used to make chocolate and in baking.
"Sift the cocoa powder into the cake batter."
2
A hot drink made by mixing cocoa powder with milk and sugar.
"She curled up with a mug of hot cocoa after sledding."

How to Use Cocoa

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishThe powder chocolate is made from, or a warm chocolatey milk drink made from it.

Common mistake

Cocoa (chocolate) and coca (the plant behind cocaine) look similar but are completely unrelated.

Easily confused with
coca cacao
Common pairings
a mug of cocoa cocoa powder cocoa butter

Word Forms

cocoas plural

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Test yourself on “cocoa” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Sift the _____ powder into the cake batter.

Etymology

From Spanish cacao, ultimately from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl; the spelling "cocoa" arose from confusion with the unrelated word "coco" and was later fixed in place by an early English dictionary.

Origin: Spanish

Rhymes for cocoa

See all rhymes for cocoa →

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “cocoa” mean?

The word “cocoa” means a brown powder made from roasted, ground cacao beans, used to make chocolate and in baking. In plain terms, the powder chocolate is made from, or a warm chocolatey milk drink made from it.

How do you pronounce “cocoa”?

“Cocoa” is pronounced KOH-koh (/ˈkoʊ.koʊ/ in IPA).

How do you use “cocoa” in a sentence?

Here is “cocoa” used in a sentence: “Sift the cocoa powder into the cake batter.”

What part of speech is “cocoa”?

“Cocoa” is a noun.

Where does the word “cocoa” come from?

The word “cocoa” comes from Spanish. From Spanish cacao, ultimately from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl; the spelling "cocoa" arose from confusion with the unrelated word "coco" and was later fixed in place by an early English dictionary.

Is “cocoa” a common word?

“Cocoa” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.

How many meanings does “cocoa” have?

“Cocoa” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a brown powder made from roasted, ground cacao beans, used to make chocolate and in baking.

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