potato

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noun, often attributive po·ta·to \ pə-ˈtā-(ˌ)tō , -tə , dialectal pə-ˈdā- , bə- \

Definition of potato

plural potatoes

1 :sweet potato

2 a :an erect South American herb (Solanum tuberosum) of the nightshade family widely cultivated for its edible starchy tuber

b :the tuber of a potato — called also Irish potato, spud, white potato

See potato defined for English-language learners

See potato defined for kids

Examples of potato in a Sentence

She's growing carrots and potatoes in her garden this year.

Recent Examples of potato from the Web

Mayor Kenney cleverly kicked the issue to the city Art Commission, a group of political appointees no doubt delighted to have this hot potato tossed in its collective lap.

— john baer, Philly.com, "Of Rendell, Rizzo, and all this to-do over statues," 27 Aug. 2017
The Naked Egg Taco is filled with potatoes, cheese, and bacon or sausage.

— danielle tullo, Cosmopolitan, "OMG, Taco Bell's New Breakfast Item Uses a Fried Egg for the Shell," 16 Aug. 2017
Serve chicken and sauce on potatoes with broccolini alongside.

— marian cooper cairns, Country Living, "Dijon-Smothered Chicken Legs with Broccolini," 9 Aug. 2017
But the task of improving lower-value but still important crops—such as oats, potatoes, or forages for livestock—has been largely left to scientists at public universities and laboratories run by federal and state agencies.

— virginia gewin, Science | AAAS, "Crop breeders sprout plan to boost public sector research," 28 July 2017
Double-decker potato tacos are what might happen when Lefebvre reimagines Taco Bell’s Cheesy Gordita Crunch.

— garrett snyder, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Los Angeles Magazine Hot Restaurant List for July 2017," 18 July 2017
Angela Koch has always wanted to know how to make chef Dallas McGarity's potato gnocchi.

— bailey loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Learn to cook with Louisville's best chefs at new downtown kitchen," 18 July 2017
There was one day when Ivan wanted to shoot the little kids doing a potato sack race.

— vanityfair.com, "Meatballs: An Oral History," 6 July 2017
That’s the equivalent of a few grains of salt in 10 tons of potato chips — but enough over time to build up in bay fish to cause a possible toxicity problem for consumers.

— roger showley, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Blue tech': Boat washers, slip apps, oysters and copper," 5 July 2017

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

Illustration of potato

Origin and Etymology of potato

Spanish batata, from Taino

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1565

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Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

POTATO Defined for Kids

potato

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noun po·ta·to \ pə-ˈtā-tō \

Definition of potato for Students

plural potatoes

:the thick edible usually rounded underground tuber of a widely grown South American plant that is eaten as a vegetable

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See words that rhyme with potato Spanish Central: Translation of potato Nglish: Translation of potato for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of potato for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about potato

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potato

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