sweet potato

noun

1

: a tropical vine (Ipomoea batatas) of the morning-glory family that is often grown for its edible tuberous root or for its ornamental variously shaped green to purple leaves and usually white to pinkish funnel-shaped flowers with pink to purple centers

also : the large thick sweet and nutritious tuberous root of the sweet potato that has beige, yellow, orange, red, or purple flesh and is cooked and eaten as a vegetable compare yam sense 2

2

: ocarina

Examples of sweet potato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vang said the main cultural flavors at MochiUnni will be coconut, pandan (a tropical plant to produce a sweet, vanilla-like aroma) and ube (similar to sweet potato and a purple yam). —Cathy Kozlowicz, jsonline.com, 23 Jan. 2026

This traditional Mexican dessert is very simple—big chunks of sweet potato are simmered in a sugar syrup with spices, then served warm with a drizzle of cream. —Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 20 Jan. 2026

Sprinkle over sweet potato mixture. —Jenavieve Christensen, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Jan. 2026

That's because boiling may change the chemical structure of the starches in sweet potato differently than baking or frying. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 20 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sweet potato

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• manifesto
• medicago
• minangkabau
• oregano
• ostinato
• pistachio
• politico
• portfolio

Kids Definition

sweet potato

noun

1

: a tropical vine related to the morning glories and having variously shaped leaves and purplish flowers

also : its large sweet starchy root that is cooked and eaten as a vegetable

2

: ocarina