pawpaw
Americannoun
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pawpaws
plural
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a tree, Asimina triloba, of the annona family, native to the eastern United States, having large, oblong leaves and purplish flowers.
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the fleshy, edible fruit of this tree.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pawpaw
First recorded in 1620–30; unexplained variant of papaye “papaya”; see papaya
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.
See Examples For:
Finger limes, pomelos, pawpaw and sapote, to name a handful.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
He went from standard citrus, apricot and avocado to a more exotic collection, adding finger limes, valentine pummelos, jaboticaba, cherimoya and pawpaw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
At least one small study has shown that pawpaw pulp can maintain its flavor even after months of storage, despite browning.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
That experimentation doesn't come free, though, and for an under-recognized crop like a pawpaw, the resources aren't always easy to procure.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
I walked through tall grasses up a sandbank to a stand of pawpaw trees with clusters of fruit and climbed up the thickest trunk.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Fryar, who wrote a book about the Potomac after discovering its hidden wilds, plans to stop foraging for pawpaws and a leafy green called sochan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026
According to Brannan, it's likely pawpaws will show up in the 2025 edition of the database, setting groundwork for more nutritional awareness and probably product development.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
A 2008 study found that storing the fruit around 40 degrees Fahrenheit can preserve pawpaws for about four weeks, but anything longer leads to poor quality.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
In the meantime, researchers have attempted to identify color breaks in existing pawpaws.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2024
“Oh, look, those pawpaws are almost ripe. Lotekwa, don’t forget to pluck them.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
