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 roughly $40 basket includes a Butterball frozen turkey, a five-pound bag of potatoes, boxed macaroni and cheese and stuffing mixes, fresh cranberries and the ingredients for a green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.

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 have this sweet potato, green bean and cashew curry in my book that’s like my go-to.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

It found that 31% of U.S. adults don’t care for cranberry sauce while 29% would skip the sweet potatoes and 28% would forgo the green bean casserole.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

Amarante surveyed the damp earth, the glistening green bean plants, the faint yellow irrigation foam left around the stalks, the mud cracking softly in some freshly watered rows.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols