: any of a genus (Plantago of the family Plantaginaceae, the plantain family) of herbs with basal rosettes of usually lanceolate or elliptical leaves and spikes of minute greenish flowers
1
: the angular greenish starchy fruit of the plantain that is a staple food in the tropics when cooked
2
: a banana plant (Musa paradisiaca)
Examples of plantain in a Sentence
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Tess Garcia, Architectural Digest, 9 Feb. 2026
Goat, fish, legumes, ghee, olive oil, biryani, jollof rice, or plantains can all fit.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
Snacks are also laid out by the attentive staff, including crispy plantain chips and gooey chocolate brownie bites.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 5 Feb. 2026
Amezquita said his favorite dish for the awards show is the Botana Board, which includes mole verde, mole rojo, mole negro, longaniza sausage, vegetarian chicharron de harina, pork belly chicharron, plantain chips, blue corn tortilla chips, roasted garlic white bean, and fruit escabeche.
—Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
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Noun
The Salvadorian-Australian designer is the founder of Yellow Studio, the design firm Cuddeford recruited to bring plantain and sugarcane fields, the bodegas of New York City, and more to life onstage for Benito’s big show.
—Tess Garcia, Architectural Digest, 9 Feb. 2026
Goat, fish, legumes, ghee, olive oil, biryani, jollof rice, or plantains can all fit.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 7 Feb. 2026
Snacks are also laid out by the attentive staff, including crispy plantain chips and gooey chocolate brownie bites.
—Rebekah Evans, TheWeek, 5 Feb. 2026
Amezquita said his favorite dish for the awards show is the Botana Board, which includes mole verde, mole rojo, mole negro, longaniza sausage, vegetarian chicharron de harina, pork belly chicharron, plantain chips, blue corn tortilla chips, roasted garlic white bean, and fruit escabeche.
—Charlie Vargas, Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for plantain
Cite this Entry
“Plantain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plantain. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plantain
1 of 2 noun
plan·tain
ˈplant-ᵊn 
: any of several common weeds having a short stem or none at all, leaves with parallel veins, and a long stalk of tiny greenish flowers
plantain
2 of 2 noun
: the large greenish starchy fruit of a kind of banana plant that is eaten cooked and is an important food in the tropics
also
: this plant
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