sweet potato

noun

1
: a tropical vine (Ipomoea batatas) of the morning-glory family that is often grown for its edible tuberous root or for its ornamental variously shaped green to purple leaves and usually white to pinkish funnel-shaped flowers with pink to purple centers
also : the large thick sweet and nutritious tuberous root of the sweet potato that has beige, yellow, orange, red, or purple flesh and is cooked and eaten as a vegetable compare yam sense 2
2

Examples of sweet potato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There were also things like gluten-free sweet potato wraps, multigrain pancake mix, and green juices. Carina Finn, Bon Appétit, 12 Mar. 2024 This being winter, there’s sweet potato soup, warm with baking spices and sorghum molasses. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024 Appetizers include egg rolls and sweet potato fries. Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 29 Feb. 2024 Sweet Potato Spice Cake Molasses, brown sugar and spices lend this sweet potato cake a complex, rich flavor. Anna Luisa Rodriguez, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 Dishes include shrimp and grits, sweet potato waffles and more. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2024 Customers can combine meats like lobster and steak for a surf-and-turf burrito, get fresh-cut potato wedges coated in a spicy seasoning blend or add a sweet potato bar for dessert. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 Hands-on warm service, where co-owners will likely stop by to ask about your meal, and variations on down-home standards such as mac 'n' cheese and sweet potato fries, make patrons feel at (a slightly better version of) home. Usa Today Network, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2024 Nova Scotia halibut with beluga lentils or Colorado lamb with pistachio butter and sweet potato fondant? Marlise Kast-Myers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sweet potato.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sweet potato was in 1750

Dictionary Entries Near sweet potato

Cite this Entry

“Sweet potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweet%20potato. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sweet potato

noun
1
: a tropical vine related to the morning glories and having variously shaped leaves and purplish flowers
also : its large sweet starchy root that is cooked and eaten as a vegetable
2

More from Merriam-Webster on sweet potato

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