potato

noun

po·​ta·​to pə-ˈtā-(ˌ)tō 

-tə,

 dialectal  pə-ˈdā-,

bə- 

plural potatoes

often attributive

1

: sweet potato

2

a

: an erect South American herb (Solanum tuberosum) of the nightshade family widely cultivated for its edible starchy tuber

b

: the tuber of a potato

called also Irish potato, spud, white potato

Illustration of potato

• potato 2a

Examples of potato in a Sentence

She's growing carrots and potatoes in her garden this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

The salad menu is long as are the sandwich options, and then there are American food favorites like the potato skins with bacon, cheese and sour cream, mozzarella sticks, and buffalo style chicken fingers with bleu cheese. —Shivani Vora, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025

Sweet potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes are a good substitute for the butternut squash. —Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 10 Jan. 2025

For dinner, guests tucked in to a plated Caesar salad, live pasta station and tri-tip served with asparagus and mashed potatoes. —Ashlyn Robinette, People.com, 9 Jan. 2025

The yams are roasted, then tossed in potato starch and fried. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish batata, from Taino

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing potato

• Colorado potato beetle
• couch potato
• fingerling potato
• hot potato
• Irish potato
• jacket potato
• mouse potato
• new potato
• potato beetle
• potato blight
• potato bug
• potato chip
• potato crisp
• potato leafhopper
• potato pancake
• potato tuberworm
• seed potato
• small potato
• sweet potato
• white potato

Kids Definition

potato

noun

po·​ta·​to pə-ˈtāt-ō  pət-ˈāt- 

plural potatoes

1

: sweet potato sense 1

2

a

: an erect South American herb widely cultivated for its thick starchy edible underground tubers

b

: one of these edible tubers

called also Irish potato, spud, white potato