watermelon
Americannoun
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the large, roundish or elongated fruit of a trailing vine, Citrullus lanata, of the gourd family, having a hard, green rind and a sweet, juicy, usually pink or red pulp.
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the vine itself.
noun
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an African melon, Citrullus vulgaris, widely cultivated for its large edible fruit
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the fruit of this plant, which has a hard green rind and sweet watery reddish flesh
Etymology
Origin of watermelon
Explanation
A watermelon is a plant that grows vines and flowers that ripen into large, juicy fruit also called watermelon. Cold watermelon is delicious at a backyard barbecue. Like squashes and gourds, watermelons grow from long, climbing vines. The deep pink or red flesh of a watermelon, however, is uniquely sweet, juicy, and refreshing. Watermelons are originally native to Africa, and they were brought to North America and cultivated around the 16th century. For many people, it's just not summer without watermelon — the fruit is over 90 percent water, so it's not just delicious, but it also quenches your thirst.
Vocabulary lists containing watermelon
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.
"I'm not going to lie, I didn't expect you to be this easy to talk to," a watermelon woman tells her dragon-fruit date over their corresponding fruit cocktails at sunset.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
There's also Watermelina, a watermelon, a banana named Bananito, and Cherrita, who is a cherry.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Among her many years toiling in the fields, she cut and packed lettuce, picked cherries and planted watermelon seeds across the Central Valley.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026
Ernesto leaned over the flatbed and ate the watermelon with his hands, piece by piece, until the box was empty.
From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026
I couldn’t see very much of his face for the handkerchief, but what little I could see was as red as a busted watermelon.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
