plural taros
: a tropical Asian plant (Colocasia esculenta) of the arum family that has large heart- or arrow-shaped leaves and is grown throughout the tropics for its edible starchy corms and cormels and in temperate regions for ornament
also : its corms and cormels typically cooked as a vegetable or ground into flour

Examples of taro in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Instead, there are taro farms, local boutiques and mom and pop eateries. Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 17 May 2026 Colors include a pretty green, a neutral beige, and taro, a lavender color. Lauren Finney Harden, InStyle, 11 June 2026 This is a variety of taro, a food staple in Polynesia, whose tubers are edible when properly prepared. Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026 As for boba, the chain offers everything from milk teas like classic black, taro and matcha to fruit teas, including pineapple, passionfruit and strawberry. Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 31 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for taro

Word History

Etymology

Tahitian & Maori

First Known Use

1769, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of taro was in 1769

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Cite this Entry

“Taro.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/taro. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

plural taros
: a large-leaved tropical Asian plant grown throughout the tropics for its edible starchy rounded underground stem
also : the stem typically cooked as a vegetable or ground into flour

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