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
According to Breen, a half-cup of lentils contains about 9 grams of protein—compared with roughly 2 grams in rice, 4 in pasta, and less than 1 gram in potatoes.
—
Bridget Shirvell, Martha Stewart, 23 Feb. 2026
Try the potato pizza with fingerlings, Point Reyes blue cheese, green onion and rosemary, or the mushroom pie with shiitake, oyster and cremini.
—Audrey T. Williams, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Go for plates like the Country Scramble, made with ham, cheese, green onions, tomato, and potatoes grown right in their garden.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
Barrington Elementary For more than a decade, Claudia Lopez joined other Barrington Elementary School mothers to cook a meal of turkey, potato salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chocoflan for Thanksgiving.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for potato
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Bridget Shirvell, Martha Stewart, 23 Feb. 2026
Try the potato pizza with fingerlings, Point Reyes blue cheese, green onion and rosemary, or the mushroom pie with shiitake, oyster and cremini.
—Audrey T. Williams, Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2026
Go for plates like the Country Scramble, made with ham, cheese, green onions, tomato, and potatoes grown right in their garden.
—Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 Feb. 2026
Barrington Elementary For more than a decade, Claudia Lopez joined other Barrington Elementary School mothers to cook a meal of turkey, potato salad, mashed potatoes, cornbread and chocoflan for Thanksgiving.
—Keri Heath, Austin American Statesman, 23 Feb. 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 26 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
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