Illustration of potato
- potato 2a
potato
noun
po·ta·to
pə-ˈtā-(ˌ)tō 
-tə,
dialectal pə-ˈdā-,
bə-
plural potatoes
often attributive
1
2
a
: an erect South American herb (Solanum tuberosum) of the nightshade family widely cultivated for its edible starchy tuber
b
: the tuber of a potato
called also Irish potato, spud, white potato
Examples of potato in a Sentence
She's growing carrots and potatoes in her garden this year.
Recent Examples on the Web
My mom would spend Saturday mornings frying up luchi (crisp flatbread) and aloo sabji (potatoes sautéed with vegetables).
—
Urmila Ramakrishnan, Bon Appétit, 1 Mar. 2025
Location: Grand Casino Brew Hall Reitsma looks at the delicate care put into preparing the potatoes as the star of this product.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2025
It is composed of a potato and turnip mousse, into which nestles an oyster.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
One New York lab was in the middle of investigating a potential outbreak of late blight, a potato disease, when the lead scientist was fired, said Isako Di Tomassi, a graduate student at Cornell University who worked in the lab.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for potato
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Urmila Ramakrishnan, Bon Appétit, 1 Mar. 2025
Location: Grand Casino Brew Hall Reitsma looks at the delicate care put into preparing the potatoes as the star of this product.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 27 Feb. 2025
It is composed of a potato and turnip mousse, into which nestles an oyster.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2025
One New York lab was in the middle of investigating a potential outbreak of late blight, a potato disease, when the lead scientist was fired, said Isako Di Tomassi, a graduate student at Cornell University who worked in the lab.
—Emily Anthes, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for potato
Articles Related to potato
The Words of the Week - 2/26/2021
Some of the words that defined the week ending February 26, 2021
The Difference Between Baking and...
Is a half-baked idea really so different from a half-roasted one?
Talking Turkey at Thanksgiving
The best way to avoid uncomfortable conversation at Thanksgiving? Talk about the food.
Cite this Entry
“Potato.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/potato. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plural potatoes
2
a
: an erect South American herb widely cultivated for its thick starchy edible underground tubers
b
: one of these edible tubers
called also Irish potato, spud, white potato
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share