string bean

noun

1. any of various kinds of bean, as the green bean, the unripe pods of which are used as food, usually after stripping off the fibrous thread along the side.
2. the pod itself.
3. Informal. a tall, thin person.

string bean

noun

1. any of several bean plants, such as the scarlet runner, cultivated for their edible unripe pods See also green bean wax bean
2. informal.
   a tall thin person

Word History and Origins

Origin of string bean¹

An Americanism dating back to 1750–60

Example Sentences

They paint, play with bubbles and forage for food like frozen strawberries, string beans and heads of lettuce.

From Los Angeles Times

And my daughter ate that lie right up along with her string beans.

From Salon

The fruit that ultimately emerges is a pod that looks like a long, thick string bean and contains black seeds.

From Los Angeles Times

“Me and you, the dream team,” Yachty sings, playfully, when he takes the lead, “always together like string beans.”

From New York Times

Beyond genetics, sweet Kool-Aid, cakes, pies, collard greens and string beans, there are potatoes that live and die in pools of sugar.

From Salon