grapefruit

American  

[greyp-froot] / ˈgreɪpˌfrut /

noun

• grapefruits
  plural

1. a large, roundish, yellow-skinned, edible citrus fruit having a juicy, acid pulp.

2. the tropical or semitropical tree, Citrus paradisi, yielding this fruit.

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grapefruit British  

/ ˈɡreɪpˌfruːt /

noun

1. a tropical or subtropical cultivated evergreen rutaceous tree, Citrus paradisi

2. the large round edible fruit of this tree, which has yellow rind and juicy slightly bitter pulp

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• grapefruits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of grapefruit

1805–15; grape + fruit, apparently from the resemblance of its clusters to those of grapes

Explanation

A grapefruit is a large citrus fruit that grows on a tree. Ripe grapefruits are very slightly sour, juicy, and delicious. The first grapefruits were an accident — they came from an inadvertent cross between an orange and a pomelo. Both of those species are native to Asia, but the grapefruit's accidental invention happened in Barbados some time in the 18th century. The name comes from the way the fruit clusters on the tree, close together like grapes, rather than its taste, which is a mixture of sweetness and acidity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

grapefruit grapefruits

We had a grapefruit tree and a plum tree, and a dirt yard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026

“I’ll do a long twist of lemon, lime and either orange or grapefruit and braid them together, like you’re braiding hair,” Caporale says.

From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026

Dan from Edinburgh says that his baby, due in early January, was at one point the size of a grapefruit.

From BBC ● Dec. 31, 2025

Yonder Cider in Wenatchee, Wash., takes inspiration from cocktails to create ciders such as the Greyhound-like Sunnyslope, with pink grapefruit and lemon verbena.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 25, 2025

Aunt Petunia gave him a severe look, and then nodded pointedly at Dudley, who had already finished his own grapefruit quarter and was eyeing Harry’s with a very sour look in his piggy little eyes.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Ayelet Kohn and Shachar Shnurman harvested the grapefruits this month - a defiant act of normality amid the burnt-out remains of their neighbours' homes.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2024

And because he couldn’t afford a soccer ball, he learned to play on the streets using grapefruits or cloth stuffed with newspapers and bound with string.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 29, 2022

I’m just kind of laughing along and then I’ll remember, “Oh, wait, I tweeted about grapefruits a couple of weeks ago.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 9, 2021

Of course, other citrus is just as dreamy: Limes, grapefruits, and tangerines are a few of my faves.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2021

Then I walk over to the tree, where Tomás has dug a hole out of boredom and is kicking at the loose grapefruits like they’re soccer balls.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina