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Definition of mashed potato

mashed potato

Plural:mashed potatoes
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• noun

1

A dish prepared by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, typically mixed with milk, butter, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy.

Example

"She served the roast chicken alongside steamed green beans and a generous portion of mashed potato."

2

A popular solo dance craze of the early 1960s characterized by swiveling the feet inward and outward while twisting the heels.

Example

"Teenagers across the country learned to do the mashed potato when the song hit the radio charts in 1962."

Synonyms
View all synonyms for mashed potato

Word Nuance & Usage

In American English, the dish is almost always referred to in the plural as 'mashed potatoes', whereas in British and Australian English the uncountable singular 'mashed potato' is equally common.

• Nearby Words

masculinize
masdevallia
mash
mashed potato
mashed potatoes
masher
mashua

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Mashed potato. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/mashed-potato
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