veg·e·ta·ble
ˈvej-tə-bəl 
ˈve-jə-,
ˈvech-
1
: a usually herbaceous plant (such as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal
also
: such an edible part
2
3
a
: a person having a dull or merely physical existence
b
informal + sometimes offensive
: a person whose mental and physical functioning is severely impaired and especially one who requires supportive measures (such as mechanical ventilation) to survive
1
a
: of, relating to, constituting, or growing like plants
b
: consisting of plants : vegetational
2
: made from, obtained from, or containing plants or plant products
vegetable soup
vegetable fat
3
: resembling or suggesting a plant (as in inertness or passivity)
Examples of vegetable in a Sentence
Noun
The doctor said I should eat more fruits and vegetables.
a bowl of vegetable soup
The accident had left him a vegetable.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Economist, 20 July 2017
This summer, at the South Windsor Farmers Market, SoWin/EatsHealthy will be offering discounted boxes of fresh vegetables from local farmers.
—Courant Community, 17 July 2017
Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024
The knifes range from the wee (petty and paring knives) to the grand (cleavers and vegetable knives).
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for vegetable 
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Noun
Portraits of the governor and his wife posing with prize-winning vegetables (both are keen gardeners) decorate the walls of the family home in Ngabang, a town in the hills four hours’ drive from Pontianak, the provincial capital.
—The Economist, 20 July 2017
This summer, at the South Windsor Farmers Market, SoWin/EatsHealthy will be offering discounted boxes of fresh vegetables from local farmers.
—Courant Community, 17 July 2017
Adjective
Of course, some are just weird, like the Grampy Turnips, little old vegetable men planted in the soil who prattle on with unsolicited advice that’s occasionally useful and mostly waffle about.
—Josh Broadwell, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024
The knifes range from the wee (petty and paring knives) to the grand (cleavers and vegetable knives).
—Scott Hocker, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for vegetable
Dictionary Entries Near vegetable
Cite this Entry
“Vegetable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vegetable. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
vegetable
1 of 2 adjective
veg·e·ta·ble
ˈvej-tə-bəl
ˈvej-ət-ə-bəl
1
: of, relating to, consisting of, or growing like plants
vegetable growth
2
: made from, obtained from, or containing plants or plant products
vegetable soup
vegetable
2 of 2 noun2
: a leafy plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) usually without woody tissue grown for an edible part that is usually eaten as part of a meal
also
: such an edible part
Medical Definition
vegetable
1 of 2 adjective
veg·e·ta·ble
ˈvej-tə-bəl, ˈvej-ət-ə-
1
a
: of, relating to, constituting, or growing like plants
b
: consisting of plants
2
: made or obtained from plants or plant products
vegetable
2 of 2 noun1
: a usually herbaceous plant (as the cabbage, bean, or potato) grown for an edible part
also
: such an edible part
2
: a person whose mental and physical functioning is severely impaired and especially one who requires supportive measures (as intravenous feeding or mechanical ventilation) to survive
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