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Definition of snap pea
snap pea
Plural:snap peas
snap pea Lexical Profile
CEFR
B2
Grade
4
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
A cultivar group of peas (Pisum sativum var. macrocarpon) belonging to the legume family, characterized by a thick, crisp, rounded edible pod, commonly grown in temperate agricultural regions and consumed whole either raw or cooked.
Example
"She tossed a handful of fresh snap peas into the hot wok to give the stir-fry a sweet, crunchy texture."
Synonyms
View all synonyms for snap peaWord Nuance & Usage
Often confused with the snow pea; however, a snap pea has a rounded, crisp, thick-walled pod, whereas a snow pea has a flat, thin-walled pod.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the late 1970s to describe a successful agricultural crossbreed between a mutant garden pea and a snow pea, named for the crisp, snapping texture of its edible pod.
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Snap pea. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 12, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/snap pea