noun
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a cultivated variety of muskmelon, Cucumis melo cantalupensis, with ribbed warty rind and orange flesh
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any of several other muskmelons
Usage
What is a cantaloupe? A cantaloupe is an edible member of the gourd family known for its orange, sweet flesh and hard, scaly outer rind. Its scientific name is Cucumis melo cantalupensis and is sold mainly in Europe. A cantaloupe is also a type of muskmelon, with pale orange flesh and a rough, reticulated rind. That is, the rind has veins that look like the threads of a net. Its scientific name is Cucumis melo reticulatus and is sold mainly in the United States. Cucumis melo reticulatus is considered less sweet and more juice filled than Cucumis melo cantalupensis. Example: I made a melon salad with watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew for the pool party.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cantaloupe
First recorded in 1730–40; from French, allegedly after Cantaluppi, a papal estate near Rome where cultivation of this melon is said to have begun in Europe, though a comparable Italian word is not attested until much later than the French word, and Cantaloup, a village in Languedoc, has also been proposed as the source
Compare meaning
How does cantaloupe compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A cantaloupe is a small melon with rough skin and orange flesh. If you are making fruit salad, don't forget the cantaloupe. The jury has long been out on this word's origins, but it's thought to be a place where the melon was cultivated: Cantaluppi in Italy, or Cantaloup in France. Either way, the cantaloupe is a delicious melon with tan rind and orange flesh. Many people enjoy some cantaloupe with breakfast or anytime as a snack. You can eat cantaloupe slices or you can stick a spoon in half a cantaloupe and go to town.
Vocabulary lists containing cantaloupe
Orange
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for August 28–September 3, 2021
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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:
In the mid-1980s, when he managed cantaloupe fields, federal government pilots would fly small planes over the state’s cropland looking for large crews of workers, he recalled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2024
But the relationships either fade or split open like cantaloupe dropped on hot pavement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2024
I wondered how it was possible to capture the essence of green apple or cantaloupe in the form of a tiny, plastic-y candy.
From Salon ● May 8, 2024
A salmonella outbreak tied to tainted cantaloupe has now killed eight people - three in the U.S. and five in Canada, health officials reported Thursday.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 8, 2023
He even cut up some cantaloupe for us that he got at the market.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
To capture the current climate on farms, a photographer and I joined this crew as they harvested mini watermelons and cantaloupes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 30, 2025
The department did not name the company involved, but Canada’s Public Health Agency linked the outbreak to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023
Grocery stores across the United States recalled cantaloupes in early December after discovering that whole and pre-sliced portions of the fruit were responsible for illnesses—and two deaths—across 34 states.
From National Geographic ● Dec. 8, 2023
If you have any cantaloupes in your home or have recently purchased any, it's advisable to discard or return them.
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2023
She would lean into the open grate of the reservoir and pull out five stones the size of cantaloupes that stopped it up.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
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.
