green bean

American  

noun

• green beans
  plural

1. the immature green pod of the kidney bean, eaten as a vegetable.

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green bean British  

noun

1. any bean plant, such as the French bean, having narrow green edible pods when unripe

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• green beans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of green bean

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

green bean

The humble bag with peas, carrots, corn, and those tiny, anonymous green bean chunks.

From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2026

To attract increasingly discerning consumers, Kroger has offered a precooked holiday meal for eight of turkey or ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry and gravy for about $11 a person.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025

Aldi’s box, at $40 for 10 people, also includes the makings for green bean casserole and a pumpkin pie with whipped topping.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 22, 2025

A small fraction of conventional watermelon and green bean samples — 3% and 4%, respectively — tested positive for an especially concerning carbamate or organophosphate pesticide.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 29, 2024

I fumbled it a little, and caught it before I had green bean juice all over my only suit.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds