What’s the plural of “tomato”?
Singular nouns that end in -o, like tomato, add -es as a plural: tomato/tomatoes (or potato/potatoes, mango/mangoes).
We harvested several large tomatoes from the garden.
You need to peel the potatoes before boiling them.
He ate three sweet mango for dessert.
Many cultures celebrate ancient heros in their stories.
What’s the singular of tomato?
Tomato is a singular noun and refers to one tomato.
Nouns that end in -o
Nouns that end in –o typically form a plural by adding an –s or –es to the end (like potato: potatoes.) This makes the tomato a regular noun form, since it adheres to the regular plural noun suffix of –es/-s. See the chart:
| singular nouns ending in “-o” | plural “-es” / “-s” |
| tomato | tomatoes |
| buffalo | buffaloes or buffalos |
| potato | potatoes |
| hero | heroes |
| volcano | volcanos or volcanoes |
Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?
A tomato, or tomatoes are defined in the dictionary as “a round, red fruit with a lot of seeds, eaten cooked or uncooked as a vegetable, for example in salads or sauces: a sliced tomato, tomato salad/soup, pasta with a tomato sauce.
The plural of “tomato,” visualize a bunch of tomatoes, and associate the “es” ending with the “es” in “tomatoes.”.
“Tomato”, used in sentences
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | Peas and tomato ketchup are what you want with it.
This exposes the flesh inside the tomato, which often becomes infected by fungal spores that will ruin the fruit. (The Sun, 2016) Why do my tomato plants have white patches on the leaves? (The Sun, 2016) He would pick up the tomato and eat it just like he would an apple. (Christianity Today, 2000) |
“Tomatoes”, plural, used in sentences
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Other | She cut up tomatoes for a salad.
The sandwich is served with lettuce and tomatoes. The red sauce is made from tomatoes and herbs. Eat tomatoes with a little fat to enhance absorption. (Times, Sunday Times, 2016). Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to the boil. (Times, Sunday Times, 2016) |
Origin of the word tomato
Tomato comes from:
Spanish tomate (mid-16c.) from Nahuatl (Aztecan) tomatl “a tomato,” said to mean literally “the swelling fruit,” from tomana “to swell.”
Practice: Forms of “Tomato”
She added several ripe ______ to the salad.
This pasta sauce is made from fresh ______.
He picked a single red ______ from the vine.
The recipe requires a can of crushed ______.
Is that a cherry ______ or a grape ______?
FAQs
What’s the plural of tomato?
+
How do nouns ending in -o form plurals?
+
Is ‘tomato’ a singular or plural noun?
+
Are tomatoes fruits or vegetables?
+
What is a common mistake with -o plurals?
+
Yash, D. "How to Use Tomato Plural (Tomatos or Tomatoes?)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/tomato-plural/.
