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.

---

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

---

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

See Examples For:

lemon lemons

Half the table orders Diet Coke, the other water with lemon; someone requests a skillet of molten white queso.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

I do a lot of basil oil, a little bit of garlic, a little bit of lemon juice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

I’ll pick a lemon off my tree to add to it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

When Will Hudson bought his condo in Golden, Colo., two years ago, the last thing he expected was to be trapped with the real-estate equivalent of a lemon.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

His face scrunches like he swallowed a lemon.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Pereira has continued to champion corn, recently making a Brazilian lemonade - which uses limes instead of lemons - and pairing it with corn milk.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

And if management is able to make lemonade out of lemons then they can even be a great one.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

I need my organic eggs, my strawberries, my lemons, my lemongrass, my hummus and my ghee.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Mine, it turns out, are lemons and chicken thighs.

From Salon ● May 22, 2026

She is carrying a basket with an unplucked chicken, four lemons, and a brittle garlic clove.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---