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

The menu also features Big Green Egg smoked brisket (black-eyed peas, collard greens and red onion marmalade) and Thai turkey and sweet potato hash (red jasmine rice, crispy shallots, basted egg and prik nam pla). — Sam Flemming, AJC.com, 15 July 2026

Fried sides are on point, with curly fries with togarashi ($5), waffle fries with herbs ($5), sweet potato fries with brown sugar and cayenne ($5) or just straight up shoestring fries ($5-7) or onion rings ($6), salted. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026

Grilled fish and sweet potato fries make up the more sophisticated end of the menu. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026

The Sweet Tree Roll, with black rice, avocado, sweet potato, alfalfa sprouts, and toasted cayenne sauce, remains the signature for good reason. — Rafael Peña, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sweet potato

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• fortissimo
• manifesto
• 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