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

This mix is sweet potato vine, white alyssum, peach verbena, silver spurflower, purple petunias, white scaevolas, and angelonia. — Teresa Woodard, Midwest Living, 12 Aug. 2026

Green Thumb Salad Spot will serve salads from classics like the Caesar to house specialties like an option with roasted cauliflower, sweet potato, avocado, grains, herbs and house dressing. — Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Little flecks of roasted sweet potato pepper the cake, and a tangy cream cheese glaze is a perfect complement to the warm spices and crunchy topping. — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 8 Aug. 2026

Interestingly, the quantum dot functioned as an effective pest repellent against adult sweet potato whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci). — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sweet potato

• adagio
• altiplano
• arapaho
• arapahoe
• fortissimo
• manifesto
• 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