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Definition of navy bean
navy bean
Plural:navy beans
navy bean Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
North American A small, oval, white variety of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), commonly dried and used to make baked beans, soups, and pies.
Example
"She soaked a pound of navy beans overnight before simmering them with a ham bone to make a hearty winter soup."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for navy bean• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the mid-19th century in the United States, the bean was named because it became a staple food ration for sailors in the United States Navy due to its long shelf life and high nutritional value.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Navy bean. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 14, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/navy bean