coffer

1 of 2

noun

cof·​fer ˈkȯ-fər 

ˈkä-

1

: chest

Among the items at the auction was an 18th-century oak coffer.

especially : strongbox

put the money in the coffer

2

: treasury, funds

—usually used in plural

… public coffers running dry in a bleak economy …

—Vivienne Walt and Roya Wolverson

corporate coffers

3

: a recessed panel in a vault, ceiling, or soffit

ceiling coffers

coffer

2 of 2

verb

coffered; coffering; coffers

transitive verb

1

: to store or hoard up in a coffer

coffered his military memorabilia

2

: to form (something, such as a ceiling) with recessed panels

A ceiling that is coffered will bring an added dimension to a large room.

Synonyms

Noun

• safe
• safe-deposit box
• strongbox

Examples of coffer in a Sentence

Noun

kept the jewels in a locked coffer

let me see what's in the household coffers and I'll get back to you about making a donation

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In each city election cycle, lobbyists and contractors pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign coffers of various political hopefuls. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2025

Revenue could go to funding things like addiction treatment and prevention programs, which can strain state coffers. —Jackie Snow, Quartz, 13 Jan. 2025

Verb

According to media reports, the two signings may have drained between $2 million and $3.5 million from the Padres' international bonus poll coffers. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025

That report estimated that a 5.5 percent VAT in France across art transactions could lead to revenue contributions to government coffers ranging from 38 million euros to over 618 million euros. —Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English cofre, coffre, borrowed from Anglo-French, altered (with n to r) from Latin cophinus "large basket, hamper" (sense "chest" attested in early Medieval Latin), borrowed from Greek kóphinos "large basket" — more at coffin entry 1

Verb

Middle English cofren, derivative of cofre coffer entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

coffer

noun

cof·​fer

ˈkȯ-fər,

ˈkäf-ər

1

: a box used especially to store money and valuables

2

: treasury sense 1, funds

—usually used in plural