lemon
LEH-muhn
Lemon (noun) means a yellow, oval citrus fruit with sour juice. Example: “I need one lemon to make a jug of fresh lemonade.”
noun
1
A yellow, oval citrus fruit with sour juice.
"I need one lemon to make a jug of fresh lemonade."
"Squeeze a lemon over the fish before serving."
"She added a slice of lemon to her tea."
2
Informal: a faulty or disappointing product, especially a car.
"Don't buy that van; it's a lemon that spends more time in garages than on roads."
"My new blender was a lemon and stopped working after two uses."
"The used car turned out to be a total lemon, breaking down within a week."
adj
1
Flavored or scented like lemon, or pale yellow in color.
"The room smelled of lemon polish after the cleaners had left."
"We painted the nursery a soft lemon colour."
"She wore a lemon-yellow dress to the party."
How to use lemon
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsually the citrus fruit, but informally also a broken or disappointing product, especially a faulty car.
Common mistake
Don't confuse with lime, a different, usually smaller and greener citrus fruit.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
squeeze of lemon
lemon zest
a real lemon (of a car)
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Word forms
- Plural
- lemons
- Third person singular
- lemons
- Past tense
- lemoned
- Comparative
- more lemon
- Superlative
- most lemon
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
I need one _____ to make a jug of fresh lemonade.
Etymology
From Old French lymon, ultimately from Arabic laymūn, tracing back through Persian and Sanskrit — a distant cousin of the word lime.
Related words
Rhymes for lemon
See all rhymes for lemon →Frequently asked questions
What does “lemon” mean?
The word “lemon” means a yellow, oval citrus fruit with sour juice. In plain terms, usually the citrus fruit, but informally also a broken or disappointing product, especially a faulty car.
How do you pronounce “lemon”?
“Lemon” is pronounced LEH-muhn (/ˈlɛmən/ in IPA).
How do you use “lemon” in a sentence?
Here is “lemon” used in a sentence: “Squeeze a lemon over the fish before serving.”
What is another word for “lemon”?
Words with a similar meaning to “lemon” include lemon yellow.
What part of speech is “lemon”?
Depending on how it is used, “lemon” can be a noun and an adjective.
Where does the word “lemon” come from?
The word “lemon” comes from Old French. From Old French lymon, ultimately from Arabic laymūn, tracing back through Persian and Sanskrit — a distant cousin of the word lime.
Is “lemon” a common word?
“Lemon” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “lemon” have?
“Lemon” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a yellow, oval citrus fruit with sour juice.
What is the difference between a lemon and a lime?
A lemon is a yellow, oval citrus fruit with sour juice, while a lime is typically smaller, green, and slightly more bitter or tart. The most obvious everyday difference is that lemons are yellow and limes are green.
What words commonly go with lemon?
As a fruit, lemon pairs with words like juice, zest, slice, and wedge, as in a squeeze of lemon. It also names the colour lemon yellow and appears in the idiom when life gives you lemons.
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