Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

Java

American  
[jah-vuh, jav-uh] / ˈdʒɑ və, ˈdʒæv ə /

noun

  1. the main island of Indonesia. 51,032 sq. mi. (132,173 sq. km).

  2. (usually lowercase) coffee.

    a cup of java.
Trademark.

  1. Digital Technology. a brand name for a high-level, object-oriented programming language used primarily to build web-based applications.

Java 1 British  
/ ˈdʒɑːvə /

noun

  1. Former spelling: Djawa.  an island of Indonesia, south of Borneo, from which it is separated by the Java Sea : politically the most important island of Indonesia; it consists chiefly of active volcanic mountains and is densely forested. It came under Dutch control in 1596 and became part of Indonesia in 1949. It is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Capital: Jakarta. Pop (with Madura): 121 352 608 (2000 est). Area: 132 174 sq km (51 032 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Java 2 British  
/ ˈdʒɑːvə /

noun

  1. a programming language especially applicable to the Internet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Java Cultural  

  1. Island in Indonesia, south of Borneo.

Discover More

Java is one of the world's most densely populated regions.

It was under Dutch rule from 1619 to 1949.

Etymology

Origin of Java

1550–60; of obscure origin; possibly from Sanskrit yāvadvīpa, yāvaka dvīpa “barley island” (the island was well known for the barley plant)

Explanation

Java is an informal word for "coffee," so the next time you go out for breakfast, you can jauntily order a cup of java. In North America, java has been slang for "coffee" since about 1850. Java is a coffee-producing region of what was then the Dutch East Indies and is now Indonesia, and while the term originally referred to coffee grown in Java, by the 20th century it was shorthand for any coffee. If you use this word these days, you're just as likely to be talking about the computer programming language called Java.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Zulmi was buried in a military cemetery in his hometown in Bandung, West Java, while Ichwan and Farizal were laid to rest in their respective hometowns in Central Java and Yogyakarta.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Clouds of ash and gas rise above Mount Semeru on Indonesia's main island of Java after eruptions force officials to raise the alert status to its highest level.

From Barron's • Nov. 19, 2025

More than 660 pupils from two schools in central Java reported symptoms of food poisoning, Gunungkidul district head Endah Subekti Kuntariningsih said.

From Barron's • Oct. 29, 2025

At least 38 others, many of them teenage boys remain trapped under the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in the East Java town of Sidoarjo.

From BBC • Sep. 30, 2025

Achmad’s ancestors arrived in Java ultimately from the South China coast, around 4,000 years ago, completing the replacement there of people related to Wiwor’s ancestors.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.