orange
1 Americannoun
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oranges
plural
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a globose, reddish-yellow, bitter or sweet, edible citrus fruit.
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any white-flowered, evergreen citrus trees of the genus Citrus, bearing this fruit, as C. aurantium bitter orange, Seville orange, or sour orange and C. sinensis sweet orange, cultivated in warm countries.
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any of several other citrus trees, as the trifoliate orange.
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any of several trees or fruits resembling an orange.
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a color between yellow and red in the spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 590 and 610 nanometers; reddish yellow.
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Art. a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of red and yellow pigments.
adjective
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of or relating to the orange.
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made or prepared with oranges or orangelike flavoring.
orange sherbet.
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of the color orange; reddish-yellow.
noun
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a member of a European princely family ruling in the United Kingdom from 1688 to 1694 and in the Netherlands since 1815.
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a river in the Republic of South Africa, flowing W from Lesotho to the Atlantic. 1,300 miles (2,095 km) long.
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a former small principality of W Europe: now in the SE part of France.
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a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.
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a city in NE New Jersey, near Newark.
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a town in SE France, near Avignon: Roman ruins.
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a city in SE Texas.
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a town in S Connecticut.
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Fort. Fort Orange.
noun
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any of several citrus trees, esp Citrus sinensis ( sweet orange ) and the Seville orange, cultivated in warm regions for their round edible fruit See also tangerine
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the fruit of any of these trees, having a yellowish-red bitter rind and segmented juicy flesh See also navel orange
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( as modifier )
orange peel
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the hard wood of any of these trees
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any of a group of colours, such as that of the skin of an orange, that lie between red and yellow in the visible spectrum in the approximate wavelength range 620–585 nanometres
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a dye or pigment producing these colours
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orange cloth or clothing
dressed in orange
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any of several trees or herbaceous plants that resemble the orange, such as mock orange
adjective
noun
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a princely family of Europe. Its possessions, originally centred in S France, passed in 1544 to the count of Nassau, who became William I of Orange and helped to found the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Since 1815 it has been the name of the reigning house of the Netherlands. It was the ruling house of Great Britain and Ireland under William III and Mary (1689–94) and under William III as sole monarch (1694–1702)
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(modifier) of or relating to the Orangemen
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(modifier) of or relating to the royal dynasty of Orange
noun
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a river in S Africa, rising in NE Lesotho and flowing generally west across the South African plateau to the Atlantic: the longest river in South Africa. Length: 2093 km (1300 miles)
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Ancient name: Arausio. a town in SE France: a small principality in the Middle Ages, the descendants of which formed the House of Orange. Pop: 27 989 (1999)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of orange
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English: the fruit or tree, Old French orenge, cognate with Spanish naranja, from Arabic nāranj, from Persian nārang, from Sanskrit nāraṅga
Explanation
An orange is a citrus tree that produces sweet-smelling white blossoms, and eventually, oranges. Orange, as in the bright color, comes from the name of the fruit and tends to be used for items we need to notice: like road construction signs and prison jumpsuits. Oranges grow in warm places like Florida, California, and Brazil, where they are harvested to be eaten and made into juice and other products. The color of the orange, in varying hues, is also orange, a warm, sunny shade that falls between red and yellow on the color spectrum. The first orange trees probably grew in India, and the word itself has its roots in the Sanskrit naranga-s, "orange tree."
Vocabulary lists containing orange
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Orange
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Indonesia's government says tens of thousands of personnel are fighting the fires, but the air in Palangkaraya remains poisonous, with the haze turning the sky apocalyptic orange in the late afternoon.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
They will wear orange jumpsuits, be subject to strict visitation rules and have the right to one hour per day outdoors.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
It can appear in various shades - from orange to cream - and has now spread to several seaside locations across the UK.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
There’s also a handy gauge that points to how your estimate compares to your baseline: green is normal, yellow is higher, orange is highest.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
He pointed at a bright red trolley with orange trim detail, so shiny that it looked like it’d just been painted.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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Last weekend, south Orange County received about an inch to an inch and a half of rainfall, but vegetation didn’t have enough time to absorb the moisture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
The Norte Fire erupted on Friday in Orange County and quickly grew to 465 acres by the evening.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
“My wife and I, our hearts are still in California, especially Orange County,” he said during an interview on the “Inside of You” podcast in August.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
The contemporary Laguna Beach, Calif., home is the second-highest sale recorded in Orange County.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
“You’re on the Orange bus, right? Will your driver care if I don’t have a note?” he asks.
From "Amina's Song" by Hena Khan
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"It's unbearable. We can't open the windows, even the oranges in the garden and the laundry hanging out to dry are covered in black dust."
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
More of the shorter blue wavelengths of light are scattered, allowing the yellows, oranges and reds to become more prominent.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
In the early 2000s, when citrus-canker lesions dotted Florida oranges, state contractors fanned out with woodchippers to destroy trees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Gone are the vivid blues and warm oranges and greens, crackling against film grain, that did so much heavy lifting for the first film’s leaden plot.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Toby turned on the television, absently watching an infomercial for a contraption that peeled oranges.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
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