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

Get the Recipe 05 of 25 Brown Butter Sweet Potato Pie Browning the butter guarantees this classic sweet potato pie a rich, nutty flavor. —Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 4 Sep. 2024

Dietary options: Carb-conscious, gluten-free, high-protein, keto, Mediterranean, paleo, pescatarian, vegan, vegetarian Meal examples: Caribbean-spiced tilapia with mango salsa; beef and sweet potato taco skillet; harvest salad with chicken and bacon Cost: Meals start at $13 per serving. —Kristi Kellogg, SELF, 12 Aug. 2024

As jazz, blues and salsa return for San Jose Jazz Summer Fest from Friday through Sunday (Aug. 9-11), so too will jambalaya, barbecue, tacos and sweet potato pie, along with new booths selling West African jollof, lumpia, grilled and raw oysters, alligator bites and more. —Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2024

Although the store sells some raw ingredients, such as kewpie mayo and big bags of Korean sweet potato noodles, its inventory is mostly snacks and frozen prepared food. —Reia Li, The Arizona Republic, 23 July 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