cola

cola — noun

1. a cold brown drink with gas bubbles inside it, tasting sweet and having no alcoh

1.nounA2
Definition

a cold brown drink with gas bubbles inside it, tasting sweet and having no alcohol in it

Example

Aiko bought a cold can of cola from the shop on her way home.

collocation: can of cola

A glass of cold cola with ice tastes great on a hot summer day.

uncountable: glass of cola (drink in general)

Common collocations
  • can of cola
  • bottle of cola
  • glass of cola
  • drink cola
  • cold cola
  • order a cola
  • iced cola
  • rum and cola
Synonyms
  • soda

    broader term used in American English for any carbonated soft drink, not just brown cola

  • soft drink

    more formal term for any non-alcoholic, carbonated beverage

  • pop

    informal term, common in parts of the US and the UK, for any fizzy drink

Grammar Patterns

a cola (countable)

cola (uncountable)

Usage Note

The word 'cola' can refer to the drink in general (uncountable: 'I like cola') or to a single serving (countable: 'Two colas, please'). It is also used as a short form for the brand name Coca-Cola, though it can refer to any similar drink.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cola, soda, pop, and soft drink all refer to carbonated beverages, but they differ in how specific they are. 'Cola' names a particular type — brown, sweet, and flavoured with cola-nut or caramel extracts (e.g., Coca-Cola or Pepsi). 'Soda' (common in the US) and 'pop' (common in the US Midwest and UK) are general terms for any carbonated drink, including lemon-lime or orange flavours. 'Soft drink' is the most formal and neutral term, used on labels and in official contexts. 'Fizzy drink' is very informal and common in British English. So if you ask for 'a cola', you get a specific brown drink; if you ask for 'a soda' or 'a pop', the server might ask which flavour.

soda ↗soft drinkpop ↗fizzy drink

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • ice-cold

Phrases

  • a can of cola
  • a bottle of cola
  • a glass of cola
  • rum and cola

Prepositions

Etymology

West African (Mende/Temne)English

The word 'cola' comes from 'kola', the name of a West African tree whose nuts contain caffeine. The nuts were used as a flavouring in early cola drinks, starting in the late 1800s in the United States. The spelling changed from 'kola' to 'cola' when the first branded cola drinks appeared.