lemon

American  

[lem-uhn] / ˈlɛm ən /

noun

lemons plural

1. the yellowish, acid fruit of a subtropical citrus tree, Citrus limon.

2. the tree itself.

3. lemon yellow.

4. Informal. a person or thing that proves to be defective, imperfect, or unsatisfactory; dud.

   His car turned out to be a lemon.

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adjective

1. made of or with lemon.

2. having the color, taste, or odor of lemon.

lemon British  

/ ˈlɛmən /

noun

1. a small Asian evergreen tree, Citrus limon, widely cultivated in warm and tropical regions, having pale green glossy leaves and edible fruits

2. 1. the yellow oval fruit of this tree, having juicy acidic flesh rich in vitamin C

   2. ( as modifier )

      a lemon jelly

3. Also called: lemon yellow. 

   1. a greenish-yellow or strong yellow colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      lemon wallpaper

4. a distinctive tart flavour made from or in imitation of the lemon

5. slang a person or thing considered to be useless or defective

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lemon-like
  adjective
• lemonish
  adjective
• lemonlike
  adjective
• lemony
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lemons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lemon

1350–1400; 1905–10 lemon for def. 4; < Medieval Latin lemōnium; replacing Middle English lymon < Medieval Latin līmō, (stem līmōn- ) < Persian līmū, līmun

Explanation

A lemon is a sour yellow fruit. Squeeze one to make lemonade or add flavor to hot tea. Lemon is also what people call something that doesn’t work well, like a bum car. You can use the word lemon for the evergreen tree whose blossoms become bright yellow fruit, or for the fruit itself — or even the color of the fruit. Lemons are originally from Asia, but they also grow well in the Mediterranean, Florida, and California. They like sunny places. Informally, you can also use lemon to mean "an unsatisfactory or poorly made example of something," so you could say, "Most Volvos are great, but this car is a lemon."

Example Sentences

I’ll cut up a few wedges of lemon and squeeze them on top of my soup — even saving a few extra wedges to squeeze in between spoonfuls.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026

The funk and sunshine of preserved lemon stirred into a vinaigrette.

From Salon • Jun. 9, 2026

Packed with cookies, brownies, old-school sprinkle cakes or lemon drizzle, they are usually found in front gardens, on driveways or by the roadside.

From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026

Bottle bio: Produced in Galicia, Spain, this is a classic Rías Baixas Albariño with aromas of lemon zest, green apple, white flowers and oyster shell.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

For a penny apiece, an elderly Italian man scraped up careful balls of lemon ice into miniature glasses.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros