caffeinate

verb

caf·​fein·​ate ˈka-fə-ˌnāt How to pronounce caffeinate (audio)
-fē-ə-
caffeinated; caffeinating

transitive + intransitive

: to get caffeine or to provide caffeine to (someone) by means of a caffeinated beverage (such as coffee)
No sitter this afternoon, so I caffeinate and stumble through the routine …Nancy Kruger Cohen
The Lady K, as locals call it, caffeinates customers in the morning …Amy Mayer
Inspired by Stephen King's how-to "On Writing," he scrawled a longhand draft of "Tietam" in six weeks, caffeinating himself through the wee hours with two-liter Diet Cokes.Gregory Kirschling

Word History

First Known Use

1989, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of caffeinate was in 1989

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Caffeinate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caffeinate. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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