taste bud

noun

: an end organ mediating the sensation of taste and lying chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue

Examples of taste bud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Call it cream that would stand up like mayonnaise, cream that no taste bud would ever forget. —John McPhee, New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2026

Crisp lemonade, frozen strawberries, and club soda blend up into a bubbly, effervescent drink that'll tickle your nose and your taste buds. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026

The researchers at Breadlab, at Washington State University, are trying to breed varieties of whole grains that are better for farmers, consumers – and taste buds. —David Morgan, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026

My taste buds confirm what my nose has picked up. —Julia Sayers Gokhale, Midwest Living, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for taste bud

• waterflood
• blood
• crud
• dud
• flood
• mud
• rud
• scud
• spud
• stud
• thud
• lifeblood

Kids Definition

taste bud

noun

: any of the sense organs by means of which taste is recognized and which are usually on the surface of the tongue

Medical Definition

taste bud

noun

: an end organ that mediates the sensation of taste, lies chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue and especially in the walls of the circumvallate papillae, and consists of a conical or flask-shaped mass made up partly of supporting cells and partly of neuroepithelial sensory cells terminating peripherally in short hairlike processes which project into the pore in the overlying epithelium and by which communication with the mouth cavity is effected