sweet potato

American  

noun

1. a plant, Ipomoea batatas, of the morning glory family, grown for its sweet, edible, tuberous roots.

2. the root itself, used as a vegetable.

3. Informal. ocarina.

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sweet potato British  

noun

1. a convolvulaceous twining plant, Ipomoea batatas, of tropical America, cultivated in the tropics for its edible fleshy yellow root

2. the root of this plant

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Etymology

Origin of sweet potato

An Americanism dating back to 1740–50

Example Sentences

They’re vegetarians: They eat grass, alfalfa, cassava, sweet potato, carrots, beets, and, at the zoo, a commercial feed.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

Maybe I’ll get like some gorgeous Japanese sweet potato cause I try to eat a sweet potato daily.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

The first time I used it, I remember slicing into a sweet potato — the dense, orange flesh giving way so cleanly it almost felt like the knife was doing the work on its own.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

The sweet potato coconut soup hit the spot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

We also had sweet potato fries—frozen, but deliciously salty-sweet—and a salad kit.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan