yam

noun

ˈyam 

1

: the edible starchy tuberous root of various plants (genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceae) used as a staple food in tropical areas

also : a plant producing yams

2

: a moist usually orange-fleshed sweet potato

Examples of yam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Participants toss the ingredients — shredded vegetables like carrots, daikon radish, yams, cucumber and pickled ginger, along with raw fish — with chopsticks as high as possible while expressing good wishes for the new year. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 19 June 2025

The yams are roasted, then tossed in potato starch and fried. —Kaitlyn Rosati, New York Daily News, 8 Jan. 2025

Prep Time: 30 mins Chill Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 8 hrs 30 mins Servings: 12 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ube, the Southeast Asian yam, is one of the hottest ingredients in baking this spring. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Apr. 2025

Indigenous culinary entrepreneur Daniel Motlop (Seven Seasons) will serve his vodka made from native yams harvested from the Northern Territory. —Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

earlier iname, from Portuguese inhame & Spanish ñame, of African origin; akin to Fulani nyami to eat

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for yam

• am
• bam
• cham
• clam
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam

Kids Definition

yam

noun

ˈyam 

1

: an edible starchy root that is an important food in tropical areas

also : a plant producing yams

2

: a sweet potato with moist usually orange flesh