tapioca
noun
tap·i·o·ca
ˌta-pē-ˈō-kə 
1
: a usually granular preparation of cassava starch used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid food
also
: a dish (such as pudding) containing tapioca
2
: cassava
Examples of tapioca in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The made- ahead spiced fruit is delicious served atop tapioca pudding or yogurt, but my favorite is on a generous scoop of ice cream.
—
Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 22 Oct. 2024
But popping boba, a type of topping that bursts with fruit juice when it’s squeezed, has already been a popular choice on traditional Asian bubble tea menus for years — even if boba is often associated with squishy tapioca pearls.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024
Starch and its derivatives, made from wheat, maize, potatoes and tapioca, are used in products from ice cream to cosmetics, paints, pills and cardboard due to their sweetening, thickening and texturizing properties.
—Sybille De La Hamaide, Reuters, 26 Sep. 2024
In East Asia, though, the most influential formulation of milk tea—a mélange of black tea and creamer, accompanied by tapioca pearls—originated in Taiwan in the eighties, before travelling to the mainland just as the Chinese economy was rising.
—Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tapioca 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 22 Oct. 2024
But popping boba, a type of topping that bursts with fruit juice when it’s squeezed, has already been a popular choice on traditional Asian bubble tea menus for years — even if boba is often associated with squishy tapioca pearls.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 13 Oct. 2024
Starch and its derivatives, made from wheat, maize, potatoes and tapioca, are used in products from ice cream to cosmetics, paints, pills and cardboard due to their sweetening, thickening and texturizing properties.
—Sybille De La Hamaide, Reuters, 26 Sep. 2024
In East Asia, though, the most influential formulation of milk tea—a mélange of black tea and creamer, accompanied by tapioca pearls—originated in Taiwan in the eighties, before travelling to the mainland just as the Chinese economy was rising.
—Han Zhang, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tapioca
Dictionary Entries Near tapioca
Cite this Entry
“Tapioca.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tapioca. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tapioca
noun
tap·i·o·ca
ˌtap-ē-ˈō-kə
: grains or flakes of starch from the cassava root that are used especially in puddings and as a thickening in liquid foods
also
: a food (as pudding) that contains tapioca
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share