tomato

noun

to·ma·to tə-ˈmā-(ˌ)tō

chiefly in Britain, eastern New England, northeastern Virginia, and sometimes elsewhere in cultivated speech

-ˈmä-

chiefly in Northern US -ˈma-

plural tomatoes

: the usually large, rounded, edible, pulpy berry of an herb (genus Solanum) of the nightshade family native to South America that is typically red but may be yellow, orange, green, or purplish in color and is eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable

: a plant that produces tomatoes

especially : any of various varieties of a tender perennial (Solanum lycopersicum synonym Lycopersicon esculentum) widely cultivated as an annual

How is tomato pronounced?: Usage Guide

The original pronunciation of this Spanish loanword was with stressed \ä\, as was also the case for potato. The older \ä\ pronunciation of potato is found in Robert Burns' poem "Holy Willie's Prayer" and persists in some Scottish dialects. Perhaps because potato has been part of English longer than tomato, its pronunciation has been anglicized in most dialects, with the stressed \ä\ vowel becoming \ā\, like the a in Plato (from Greek) and dado (from Italian). The pronunciation of tomato began the same journey of anglicization but was halted halfway between, so that British and some Eastern American dialects have the older \ä\ while the others have the newer \ā\. Tomato, being the name of a New World plant, might have entered the English language first in the Americas, where it would have had more time to undergo anglicization in American mouths. The various pronunciations of tomato are all acceptable in standard English.

Examples of tomato in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

From the other side these ingredients can help produce a finished product like cookies or chocolate coverings for biscuits or a natural flavor for tomato sauce. —

Simon Perry, People.com, 4 Nov. 2024 The double bacon burger is served with four slices of bacon, four slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mustard and ketchup. —

John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Oct. 2024 Canned tomatoes can be used in chili, soups, pasta recipes, and pizza. —

Lindsey Desoto, Rd, Health, 29 Oct. 2024 Ingredients of Rao’s sauce, like garlic, basil and tomatoes, are also featured on and around the float. —

Jordan Valinsky, CNN, 28 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tomato