tomato

UK: /təˈmɑːtəʊ/ US: /təˈmeɪtoʊ, -ˈmɑ-/ ,(tə mā′tō, -mä′-)

Inflections of 'tomato' (n): npl: tomatoes

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

to•ma•to /təˈmeɪtoʊ, -ˈmɑ-/   n. [countable] , pl. -toes. 

1. Plant Biology a large, edible, mildly acid, pulpy fruit, red to red-yellow when ripe.
2. Plant Biology the plant that produces this, of the nightshade family.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

to•ma•to  (tə mā′tō, -mä′-), n., pl. -toes. 

1. Plant Biology any of several plants belonging to the genus Lycopersicon, of the nightshade family, native to Mexico and Central and South America, esp. the widely cultivated species L. lycopersicum, bearing a mildly acid, pulpy, usually red fruit eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable.
2. the fruit itself.
3. [Older Slang] ([sometimes offensive] ). a girl or woman.

• Nahuatl tomatl
• Spanish
• 1595–1605; 1915–20 for def. 3.; earlier tomate

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

tomato / təˈmɑːtəʊ təˈmeɪtəʊ/ noun ( -toes)

1. a solanaceous plant, Lycopersicon (or Lycopersicum) esculentum, of South America, widely cultivated for its red fleshy many-seeded edible fruits
2. the fruit of this plant, which has slightly acid-tasting flesh and is eaten in salads, as a vegetable, etc

Etymology: 17th Century tomate, from Spanish, from Nahuatl tomatl