Meaning & use
a sofa
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“a sofa” is a form of “sofa”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nouncountable
A long soft seat with a back and arms, usually for two or more people, found in a living room.
Grammar: Countable: one sofa, two sofas; the phrase "a sofa" simply means one of them.
Patterns
- a sofa in the living room
- sit on a sofa
- a comfortable sofa
We bought a sofa that turns into a bed for guests.
There's a sofa in the corner, so just sit down and relax.
A sofa with washable covers is best if you have pets.
Word forms
| plural | sofas |
|---|---|
| with article | a sofa |
Common combinations
- a sofa bed
- A sofa bed is handy when friends stay over.
- a three-seater sofa
- Their new three-seater sofa fills most of the room.
- sink into a sofa
- After work I just sink into the sofa and watch TV.
- a leather sofa
- A leather sofa is easy to wipe clean.
- a sofa cushion
- She fluffed the sofa cushions before the guests arrived.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- sofa bed noun
- A sofa that folds out into a bed.
Commonly confused: a sofa or armchair?
a sofa vs armchair
An armchair seats only one person, while a sofa seats two or more.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
"A sofa" means one sofa, so "We need a sofa for the new flat" is correct. Option 3 drops the article, which countable singular nouns need, and option 4 uses two articles together, which is impossible.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a sofa”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.