avocado

American  

[av-uh-kah-doh, ah-vuh-] / ˌæv əˈkɑ doʊ, ˌɑ və- /

noun

• avocados
  plural

1. Also called alligator pear.  a large, usually pear-shaped fruit having green to blackish skin, a single large seed, and soft, light-green pulp, borne by the tropical American tree Persea americana and its variety P. adrymifolia, often eaten raw, especially in salads.

2. the tree itself.

---

avocado British  

/ ˌævəˈkɑːdəʊ /

noun

1. a pear-shaped fruit having a leathery green or blackish skin, a large stony seed, and a greenish-yellow edible pulp

2. the tropical American lauraceous tree, Persea americana, that bears this fruit

3. 1. a dull greenish colour resembling that of the fruit

   2. (as modifier)

      an avocado bathroom suite

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• avocados
  plural

Etymology

Origin of avocado

1690–1700; alteration of Spanish abogado literally, lawyer ( see advocate), by confusion with Mexican Spanish aguacate < Nahuatl āhuacatl avocado, testicle; cf. alligator pear

Explanation

An avocado is a fruit with a thick green skin and mild, creamy flesh. If you've ever eaten guacamole, you've tasted avocado. It might seem strange that an avocado is a fruit, because it's not sweet. Avocados have to be cut open before you eat them, and the hard pit in the middle needs to be removed. The inside of an avocado is firm but soft, a pale green shade. The word avocado is Spanish, from aguacate, and rooted in a Proto-Aztecan word, *pawa, that also meant avocado.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

avocado avocados

He said avocado growers have been begging the government for years to do more to address extortion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Scientists have long known that avocado trees live a somewhat spicy life, changing sexes depending on the time of day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Eating one avocado each day may modestly reduce heart disease risk in adults with obesity, according to new research led by scientists in the Penn State Department of Nutritional Sciences.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

The increase was driven by inflation in beef and freight prices, and higher protein and produce usage, but partially offset by menu price increases and lower avocado and dairy costs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Jostling among mango and avocado vendors, he sells cups of diced fruit.

From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario

This year, the U.S. expects to import 2.8 million metric tons of avocados, a record.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

The findings suggest that adults with obesity from a wide range of backgrounds could potentially benefit from including avocados in their diets.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

He pointed to coffee, tea, macadamia nuts and avocados as agricultural products that could benefit under the new policy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 2026

Here I am, in my house, surrounded by a yard filled with passion fruit, papaya, cucumbers, avocados, chard and yes, uchche.

From Salon ● May 9, 2026

Coupled with squash, beans, and avocados, maize provided Mesoamerica with a balanced diet, one arguably more nutritious than its Middle Eastern or Asian equivalent.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann