snap bean

American  

noun

1. a crisp bean pod, as a green bean or a wax bean, that is easily broken into pieces for cooking.

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snap bean British  

noun

1. any of various bean plants that are cultivated in the US for their crisp edible unripe pods

2. the pod of such a plant

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Etymology

Origin of snap bean

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70

Example Sentences

He’d rather go to the clinic than snap bean sprouts at home.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

There are two kinds of green beans in the market, the string or snap bean and the shell bean.

From Miss Parloa's New Cook Book by Parloa, Maria

Boil, Bean Leaf Poultice for.—"Apply snap bean leaves, beat up fine."

From Mother's Remedies Over One Thousand Tried and Tested Remedies from Mothers of the United States and Canada by Ritter, Thomas Jefferson

Clover, alfalfa, lucern, cowpea, soy bean, snap bean, vetch and similar plants are legumes.

From The First Book of Farming by Goodrich, Charles Landon