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

: ocarina

Examples of sweet potato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Chong dehydrates this sour black rice, grinds it into a powder, and sprinkles it atop a drink called Kuro Koji, adding a dramatic jet-black top to the cocktail of purple sweet potato, Okinawan rice distillate, sweet sake, shikuwasa, and koregusu. —Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 2 Nov. 2024

The dish also comes with a vegetarian option: a sweet potato and black bean taco with chipotle slaw. —The Editors, Outside Online, 1 Nov. 2024

Included in the Thanksgiving basket are a 16-pound Butterball turkey with spices, gravy, rolls, mac and cheese, and stuffing—as well as the ingredients for cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. —Bychris Morris, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2024

Her crunchy, homemade crust was perfectly complemented by the creamy, spiced goodness of the sweet potato filling. —Symiah Dorsey, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

: ocarina