pea

noun, often attributive

\ˈpē

plural peas also pease\ˈpēz

Definition of pea

1a : a variable annual Eurasian vine (Pisum sativum) of the legume family that is cultivated especially for its rounded smooth or wrinkled edible protein-rich seeds

b : the seed of the pea

c peas also pease plural : the immature pods of the pea with their included seeds

2 : any of various leguminous plants related to or resembling the pea —usually used in combination or with a qualifying term chickpeablack-eyed pea also : the seed of such a plant

3 : something resembling a pea (as in size or shape)

Examples of pea in a Sentence

We're growing tomatoes and peas in our garden this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the university, protesting students share meals—rice with peas and chicken—while a radio mostly plays heavy metal and techno. — Juan Montes, WSJ, "Their Grandparents Toppled a Dictator. Now They Are the Revolutionaries," 9 June 2018 Consider these vegan samosas, packed with peas, cilantro, jalapeño and cayenne. — Alex Van Buren, Health.com, "10 Snacks a Food Writer Packs for Day Hikes and Car Trips," 6 June 2018 Oats This grain cover crop contributes plenty of organic matter to soil but unfortunately doesn’t add nitrogen, so consider planting it with peas. — Sunset, "Top 10 Cover Crops for Your Fall Garden," 22 Jan. 2018 Neanderthals went extinct about 40,000 years ago, but thanks to cutting-edge science, there is now a lab in California that has petri dishes filled with pea-sized versions of the cavemen's brains. — Laura Geggel /, NBC News, "Why tiny Neanderthal brains are now growing in petri dishes," 27 June 2018 His team has coaxed stem cells endowed with Neanderthal DNA into pea-size masses that mimic the cortex, the outer layer of real brains. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "Exclusive: Neanderthal “minibrains” grown in dish.," 20 June 2018 On a recent day, Diaz said, his team used 560 pounds of Delta asparagus, 200 pounds of button mushrooms from Colusa, 120 pounds of Persian cucumbers and 200 pounds of pea shoots from West Sacramento, and 160 pounds of strawberries from Watsonville. — Cathie Anderson, sacbee, "Hospital food gets a farm-to-fork makeover from UC Davis Medical Center's new chef," 18 June 2018 There's a similarly ascetic touch with salt in the pizzas, which range from a conventional Margherita to an outlier dressed with braised lamb and ricotta mixed with pea puree. — Mike Sula, Chicago Reader, "Saba is stealthy Italian that might surprise traditionalists," 31 May 2018 Once cooked, the inedible exterior of the pod can be easily split to reveal a fleshy interior with pea-sized seeds. — Nikhita Venugopal, Bon Appetit, "I Grew Up Eating This Common Indian Vegetable. Now It's a Wellness 'Superfood.'," 14 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pea.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near pea

Phrases Related to pea

pease pudding

two peas in a pod

Statistics for pea

Last Updated

12 Oct 2018

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Time Traveler for pea

The first known use of pea was in 1666

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More Definitions for pea

pea

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pea

: a small, round, green seed that is eaten as a vegetable and that is formed in a seed case (called a pod) of a climbing plant; also : a plant that produces peas

See the full definition for pea in the English Language Learners Dictionary

pea

noun

\ˈpē

plural peas\ˈpēz \