taste bud

noun

: an end organ mediating the sensation of taste and lying chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue

Examples of taste bud in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There are pepper cakes, spicy skewers, and Pakistani delights to transport your taste buds beyond Hong Kong’s borders. —Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Feb. 2026

Eating spicy foods doesn’t damage your taste buds. —Merve Ceylan, Health, 19 Feb. 2026

Each restaurant on this list offers diverse options that will satisfy your taste buds. —Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 18 Feb. 2026

With more Americans scrutinizing ingredient lists and where their food comes from, the restaurant is betting that simpler recipes, cleaner labels and farm-fresh sourcing will win trust — and taste buds. —Ashley J. Dimella, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1879, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for taste bud

• waterflood
• blood
• crud
• dud
• flood
• mud
• rud
• scud
• spud
• stud
• thud
• lifeblood

Kids Definition

taste bud

noun

: any of the sense organs by means of which taste is recognized and which are usually on the surface of the tongue

Medical Definition

taste bud

noun

: an end organ that mediates the sensation of taste, lies chiefly in the epithelium of the tongue and especially in the walls of the circumvallate papillae, and consists of a conical or flask-shaped mass made up partly of supporting cells and partly of neuroepithelial sensory cells terminating peripherally in short hairlike processes which project into the pore in the overlying epithelium and by which communication with the mouth cavity is effected