tapioca

noun

tap·​i·​o·​ca ˌta-pē-ˈō-kə 

1

: a usually granular preparation of cassava starch used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid food

also : a dish (such as pudding) containing tapioca

2

: cassava

Examples of tapioca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The yellow cake itself is made from a blend of rice flours, potato starch, cornstarch, and tapioca starch to create the soft and delectable texture that fans of this product love. —Katie Akin, Southern Living, 18 Jan. 2026

For instance, the Cookie Filled Cookie — as if a chocolate chip cookie and an Oreo had a delicious baby — uses tapioca, rice, cassava and potato flours. —Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026

Not everyone has a thing for boba tea, the popular Asian drink filled with tapioca balls and other flavorings. —Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 26 Nov. 2025

These include things like oats, coconut glycerin, and peanut butter in the lumps of coal biscuits, oats, peanut butter and bacon in the bac’n nutty biscuits, and chickpeas, tapioca flour and apples in the brushy sticks. —Christine Persaud, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Portuguese, from Tupi tɨpɨʔóka

First Known Use

1707, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tapioca

• boca
• bocca
• broca
• cloaca
• coca
• loca
• phoca

Kids Definition

tapioca

noun

tap·​i·​o·​ca ˌtap-ē-ˈō-kə 

: grains or flakes of starch from the cassava root that are used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid foods

also : a food (as pudding) that contains tapioca