green bean

American

noun

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

green bean British

noun

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of green bean

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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 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

Her mother set the dish back in the center of the table and speared a green bean with her fork.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023