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

Maple, brown butter, sweet potato and even salted caramel, each having their own respective loyalists. —Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 1 Oct. 2025

My favorite lunch was a bountiful mezze plate loaded with green falafel, sauerkraut, kale salad, pomegranate tabbouleh, smooth sweet potato puree, and hummus. —Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025

Feel free to omit the chicken and add some roasted sweet potato or butternut squash for a vegetarian option. —Marianne Williams, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2025

For a side dish, Collier recommends the sweet potato yeast rolll, served with a decadent sweet potato honey butter. —Samantha Husted, Charlotte Observer, 22 Sep. 2025

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