Illustration of potato
- potato 2a
potato
noun
po·ta·to
pə-ˈtā-(ˌ)tō 
-tə
dialectal pə-ˈdā-,
bə-
plural potatoes
often attributive
1
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
Examples of potato in a Sentence
She's growing carrots and potatoes in her garden this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
If there are still bigger pieces of tomato remaining, use a potato masher to crush them so sauce is as smooth as possible.
—
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over polenta, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The stainless steel attachment includes a slicing blade, medium shredding blade, and coarse shredding blade that works exceptionally well for thinly slicing vegetables like cucumbers or zucchini, shredding cheese, and cutting firmer foods like potatoes or carrots.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
There are staples like tortas and tacos – fillings include carnitas, al pastor, chorizo or potatoes — as well as enchiladas in verde and roja forms.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for potato
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Morocco, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve over polenta, buttered noodles, or mashed potatoes.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 26 Jan. 2026
The stainless steel attachment includes a slicing blade, medium shredding blade, and coarse shredding blade that works exceptionally well for thinly slicing vegetables like cucumbers or zucchini, shredding cheese, and cutting firmer foods like potatoes or carrots.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 26 Jan. 2026
There are staples like tortas and tacos – fillings include carnitas, al pastor, chorizo or potatoes — as well as enchiladas in verde and roja forms.
—John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for potato
Cite this Entry
“Potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potato. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plural potatoes
2
a
: an erect South American herb widely cultivated for its thick starchy edible underground tubers
b
: one of these edible tubers
called also Irish potato, spud, white potato
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
