green bean

American  

noun

green beans plural

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

---

green bean British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• green beans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of green bean

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

Example Sentences

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

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

For some people, Thanksgiving dinner is the perfect time to revel in a slew of comfort foods, like turkey, green bean casserole and mashed potatoes.

From Salon • Nov. 12, 2023

Dad stabbed at a green bean and let the subject drop.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen