potato

noun

po·​ta·​to pə-ˈtā-(ˌ)tō 

-tə

dialectal pə-ˈdā-, 

bə- 

plural potatoes

often attributive

1

: sweet potato

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

Illustration of potato

• potato 2a

Examples of potato in a Sentence

She's growing carrots and potatoes in her garden this year.

Recent Examples on the Web

The potato latkes are more mashed potato cakes than disks of shredded potato. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026

On a visit to the store Wednesday afternoon, The Star was greeted by a display of potatoes that had exactly seven bags of the starchy staple. — Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2026

The 65-year-old farmworker activist and grandmother moved from Arizona to the area as a little girl to pick potatoes. — Kirk Siegler, NPR, 28 Sep. 2026

Start your day with their Stuffed Biscuit that’s filled with spicy sausage and smashed potatoes or Cornmeal Pancakes with Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Crunch Topping. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Spanish batata, from Taino

First Known Use

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing potato

• Colorado potato beetle
• couch potato
• fingerling potato
• hot potato
• Irish potato
• jacket potato
• mouse potato
• new potato
• potato beetle
• potato blight
• potato bug
• potato chip
• potato crisp
• potato leafhopper
• potato pancake
• potato tuberworm
• seed potato
• small potato
• sweet potato
• white potato

Rhymes for potato

• afterglow
• akimbo
• albino
• aliquot
• allegro
• amigo
• apropos
• audio
• bungalow
• calico
• calypso
• cameo

Kids Definition

potato

noun

po·​ta·​to pə-ˈtāt-ō  pət-ˈāt- 

plural potatoes

1

: sweet potato sense 1

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