beet

noun

ˈbēt 

: a biennial garden plant (Beta vulgaris) of the amaranth family that includes several cultivars (such as Swiss chard and sugar beet) and that has thick edible leaves with long petioles and often swollen purplish-red roots

also : its root used especially as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or for forage

Examples of beet in a Sentence

I've planted carrots, parsnips, and beets in the garden.

Recent Examples on the Web

Alliums are excellent neighbors to beets, brassicas, tomatoes, and more. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026

Unlike leafy greens that spoil quickly, beets hold up in the fridge for weeks. —Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026

The menu options include beef ravioli, salmon, butternut squash, tuna noodle casserole, tomatoes, artichokes, broccoli, kale, pickled beets, cherry and blueberry cobbler or a chocolate and peanut butter bar. —Evan Bush, NBC news, 6 Apr. 2026

Root crops like carrots, beets, radishes, turnips and parsnips don’t transplant well, so plant their seeds directly into the garden. —Nan Sterman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bete, from Old English bēte, from Latin beta

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing beet

• beet armyworm
• beet leafhopper
• beet red
• red as a beet
• sugar beet

Rhymes for beet

• beat
• bleat
• cheat
• cleat
• creat
• deet
• eat
• feat
• feet
• fleet
• greet
• heat

Kids Definition

beet

noun

ˈbēt 

: a garden plant with thick long-stalked edible leaves and usually an enlarged purplish red root used as a vegetable, as a source of sugar, or as food for livestock

also : this root