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

Instead of sweet potato casseroles, make these sweet potato rounds in a rich and sweet sauce with crunchy pecans and herbs. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 May 2026

Try diced, roasted sweet potatoes or, to keep it quick and easy, a microwaved sweet potato alongside morning eggs. —Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 13 May 2026

Planting Distance Plant sweet potato slips in the garden 12 to 18 inches apart in rows 3 feet apart. —Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 10 May 2026

This lightly sweet potato salad is a great way to use up leftover ham. —Ginger Crichton, Midwest Living, 5 May 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