Coke
Any soft drink, not just Coca-Cola.
Also called coke, soft drink.
Updated September 21, 2026
Coke pronunciation
/KOHK/
Meaning
In a big stretch of the South, Coke is the everyday word for a fizzy soft drink. You ask somebody if they want a Coke, then they name the kind: Sprite, Dr Pepper, orange, whatever is cold in the cooler. Outsiders hear brand loyalty. Locals just hear the drink order.
How folks use it
- “You want a Coke with that barbecue?”
- “What kind of Coke you got? Mountain Dew if you have it.”
Origin and etymology
Coca-Cola started in Atlanta in 1886, and the brand name spread so wide in the South that coke became a generic label for any carbonated soft drink. Dialect surveys (including Bert Vaux's work and the Atlas of North American English) map coke territory across the South and into parts of the Southwest. Pop and soda own other regions; down here the default is often Coke.
Frequently asked questions
Do Southerners really mean Coca-Cola every time?
Not always. Sometimes they mean that brand. Often they mean any cold soft drink, and the next question is what kind.