: a sprawling herb (Vigna unguiculata synonym V. sinensis) of the legume family related to the bean and widely cultivated in the southern U.S. for forage, green manure, and edible seeds
also
: its edible seed
called also black-eyed pea, field pea
Examples of cowpea in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In reality, cowpeas and black eyed peas are the same thing!
—
Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2023
Earlier recipes dating back to the 1800s called for cowpeas, red peas, or field peas.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2023
Field peas are cowpeas, so named because they were grown as a rotational crop in the fields instead of in kitchen gardens.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2023
Field peas or cowpeas are hearty and heat-loving beans that come in many varieties and names (zipper, crowder, cream, black-eye, pink-eye).
—Liv Dansky, Southern Living, 16 July 2023
There are negative comments here about cowpeas being used for Hoppin' John not black eyed peas.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 1 July 2023
Field peas, or cowpeas, are usually grown as a cover crop in dry, arid environments like Southern summers.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 11 June 2023
Field peas are also called cowpeas, and the South is rich with many types of field peas during the summer, when the hot, dry days make ideal growing conditions for the peas.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 11 June 2023
Jessica Sakwa and her husband, Ken, run a peanut and cowpea farm in eastern Uganda.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 June 2013
Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2023
Earlier recipes dating back to the 1800s called for cowpeas, red peas, or field peas.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 9 Nov. 2023
Field peas are cowpeas, so named because they were grown as a rotational crop in the fields instead of in kitchen gardens.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 21 Sep. 2023
Field peas or cowpeas are hearty and heat-loving beans that come in many varieties and names (zipper, crowder, cream, black-eye, pink-eye).
—Liv Dansky, Southern Living, 16 July 2023
There are negative comments here about cowpeas being used for Hoppin' John not black eyed peas.
—Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 1 July 2023
Field peas, or cowpeas, are usually grown as a cover crop in dry, arid environments like Southern summers.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 11 June 2023
Field peas are also called cowpeas, and the South is rich with many types of field peas during the summer, when the hot, dry days make ideal growing conditions for the peas.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 11 June 2023
Jessica Sakwa and her husband, Ken, run a peanut and cowpea farm in eastern Uganda.
—IEEE Spectrum, 6 June 2013
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cowpea.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cowpea
Cite this Entry
“Cowpea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cowpea. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cowpea
noun
cow·pea
ˈkau̇-ˌpē 
: a sprawling herb related to the bean and grown in the southern U.S. especially as food for livestock and for green manure
also
: its edible seed
called also black-eyed pea
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