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

While folks across the country go all out for pumpkin pie on Turkey Day, Southerners love to substitute with its regional cousin the sweet potato pie. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026

The bars are naturally sweet from the Japanese sweet potato, have the perfect tender texture, and are equally good for an afternoon snack or a pre-workout treat. —Alaina Chou, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Feb. 2026

Cording recommends throwing a slice of salmon, hunks of sweet potato or winter squash, and either broccoli or brussels sprouts (chef’s choice) on a pan and roasting till the fish is cooked through and those veggies are nice and brown. —Ashley Oerman, SELF, 19 Feb. 2026

Start by baking a sweet potato until tender. —Sarah Garone, Health, 19 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sweet potato

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• manifesto
• medicago
• minangkabau
• oregano
• ostinato
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio

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