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

Elderflower liqueur is also the star in my spritz riffing on the Greyhound cocktail, which combines gin or vodka with grapefruit juice and club soda.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Kylie Minogue popped into the interview, posing as a barmaid and serving Madonna a grapefruit cocktail.

From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026

Lemon sparkling water forms the backbone, amplified with an extra squeeze of whatever citrus is hanging around the kitchen—lemon, lime, orange, even grapefruit.

From Salon ● Jun. 9, 2026

Bottle bio: A medium-bodied wine from Montevideo, Uruguay, with aromas of citrus blossom, grapefruit, white flowers and tropical fruits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 6, 2026

Tomás and Axel picking grapefruit and sword fighting.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

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

This would be the equivalent of five fresh grapefruits, “but it is best to limit grapefruit as much as possible to avoid this interaction,” she says.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 3, 2021

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

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2021

The neighbor handed over the money and we handed over the grapefruits, happier and richer than we had ever been in our little lives.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge