Home British & World English tomato

Definition of tomato in English:

tomato

noun

1A glossy red, or occasionally yellow, pulpy edible fruit that is eaten as a vegetable or in salad.
- ‘Stir in the tomato: test the vegetables again for seasoning and allow the mixture to cool.’
- ‘I make salad with avocados, tomato, lettuce and spring onions, with an olive oil and red wine dressing.’
- ‘Mix the tomatoes with the parsley and olives, capers, olive oil, lemon juice and pepper.’
- ‘Paul came round for dinner and I did pasta, and picked us fresh yellow tomatoes from the greenhouse.’
- ‘Carefully tip in the tomatoes, onion rings and garlic, then mix into the oil.’
- ‘So now I'm having a bet each way, with a warm salad of aubergine, tomato and mozzarella.’
- ‘Cow's milk, wheat, tomatoes sugar and fruit are some of the most common triggers.’
- ‘Strew the mozzarella and tomatoes over the pizzas, then add the pancetta, ruffling it up a bit.’
- ‘Stewing tomatoes in olive oil makes lycopene more available to the body.’
- ‘Toss the pasta with the tomato and serve, topped with pieces of the crisped pancetta.’
- ‘Let me just say that there is no place in here for tomatoes, cucumbers or fancy frisée lettuce.’
- ‘Lycopene is one of the pigments that colour tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables red, orange or yellow.’
- ‘Divide the polenta between four plates, top with the grilled tomatoes and shake over a few drizzles of olive oil.’
- ‘We added figs, asparagus, tomatoes, plums, walnuts, cheeses and a goodly amount more wine.’
- ‘His cuisine includes dishes with cheese and tomatoes and cheese salad is one of his favourite.’
- ‘Place the salad in a bowl and top with the tomatoes, feta and warm aubergine.’
- ‘Season the tomatoes with black pepper and put them under the grill.’
- ‘Put the onions, peppers and tomatoes on a piece of foil on a baking sheet and place in the oven.’
- ‘Tear up the coriander leaves and toss them with the tomatoes, onions, a grinding of black pepper and the olive oil.’
- ‘Throw in lots of vegetables and canned tomatoes, beans and lentils, rice and pasta.’
1. 1.1mass noun The bright red colour of a ripe tomato.
  ‘she got into the tomato Mini and drove away’
  as modifier ‘a tomato red sweatshirt’
  ‘She is plainly dressed in a tomato red T-shirt and beige trousers.’
  ‘I didn't want anyone to see my tomato red face so I placed it firmly down on the cold hard surface.’
  ‘A flush of red crept up Kiri's neck, turning her already rosy pink face tomato red.’
  ‘His thoughts catching up to him, his face turned a wonderful shade of tomato red.’
  ‘Unlike Chinese red, tomato red is not quite as bright, having more orange and white than does a true bright red.’
  ‘My face turned an unattractive shade of tomato red, clashing with my hair.’
  ‘All I could do was hope they stopped talking about this as I turned tomato red.’
  ‘The smile that had been on Leah's face faded, and her face went tomato red.’
  ‘Alex turned sharply to look in their direction and Denise turned tomato red.’
  ‘Shana's face darkened from pale pink to tomato red in a matter of seconds.’
  ‘Her breathing began to slow down, much to my relief, and her tomato red color began to ebb.’
  ‘Nicci turned a lovely shade of tomato red.’
2The South American plant of the nightshade family that produces the tomato. It is widely grown as a cash crop and many varieties have been developed.
Lycopersicon esculentum, family Solanaceae
- ‘In the garden at the back my aunt grew tomatoes, greens and lettuces.’
- ‘Grandad grew everything, but the plants that set me on the right track were sweet peas and tomatoes.’
- ‘On tomatoes, pinch out all side shoots at leaf axils when they are about an inch long.’
- ‘I hope he manages to derive some pleasure from growing tomatoes and radishes.’
- ‘I personally think if you can only grow two plants it should be a pot of tomatoes and a pot of basil.’
- ‘Until you've grown your own tomatoes, you cannot imagine what dangers exist out there.’
- ‘They also dug over an area of ground which will be used to grow herbs and tomatoes for the school kitchen.’
- ‘Plant your tomatoes in July so they are flowering when the temperature is rising.’
- ‘Blossom-end rot occurs in tomatoes grown in fields or glasshouses as a horticultural crop.’
- ‘Consider how conventional plant breeders would develop a disease-resistant tomato.’
- ‘In the last few years he still had onions and tomatoes growing in the flowerbeds he tended with care.’
- ‘These include new varieties of cotton, potato, tobacco, tomato and clove.’
- ‘If you would like to grow your tomatoes from seed, firstly you need to source the variety you want to grow.’
- ‘They discussed some tips for planting summer crops like tomatoes and capsicums.’
- ‘Mr. Ferro has grown tomatoes for the whole town for more than 30 years, and he never had anyone to help him.’
- ‘Sucrose synthase genes have also been isolated from sucrose- or hexose-storing plants such as tomato and sugar beet.’