fruit
any product of plant growth useful to humans or animals.
the developed ovary of a seed plant with its contents and accessory parts, as the pea pod, nut, tomato, or pineapple.
the edible part of a plant developed from a flower, with any accessory tissues, as the peach, mulberry, or banana.
the spores and accessory organs of ferns, mosses, fungi, algae, or lichen.
anything produced or accruing; product, result, or effect; return or profit: the fruits of one's labors.
Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. a contemptuous term used to refer to a gay man.
to bear or cause to bear fruit: a tree that fruits in late summer; careful pruning that sometimes fruits a tree.
Origin of fruit
1Other words from fruit
- fruit·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use fruit in a sentence
I try to eat less processed food, like whole grains, fruits and vegetables, nothing over-processed.
Anastasia Ashley, Surfer-Cum-Model, Rides The Viral Internet Wave | James Joiner | December 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMeanwhile younger, lighter colors evoke citrus and tree fruits, candy sugars and vanilla toffee.
Why Natural Color Is So Crucial To Understanding A Whisky’s Flavors | | December 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYet Lohse is confident that the reader will take his actions as the fruits of selfless moral courage.
They lived a simple life of growing fruits, vegetables, and lots of olive trees.
Try drinking your fruits and veggies with these healthy (and tasty) green smoothie recipes.
Flowers, fruits, and insects were her favorite subjects, and were painted with rare delicacy.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine ClementIs it true that whenever we are about to do an ill or unjust deed a shadow of the fruits it will bring comes over us as a warning?
Elster's Folly | Mrs. Henry WoodThe acid is extracted from the juice of the citron, the lime, and the lemon, fruits grown in Sicily and the West Indies.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter ShowellAnd they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruits of them.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThey soon reached a small island where ripe fruits were abundant, and where they could provide fresh supplies for the ships.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton Wade
British Dictionary definitions for fruit
/ (fruːt) /
botany the ripened ovary of a flowering plant, containing one or more seeds. It may be dry, as in the poppy, or fleshy, as in the peach
any fleshy part of a plant, other than the above structure, that supports the seeds and is edible, such as the strawberry
the specialized spore-producing structure of plants that do not bear seeds
any plant product useful to man, including grain, vegetables, etc
(often plural) the result or consequence of an action or effort
British old-fashioned, slang chap; fellow: used as a term of address
slang, mainly British a person considered to be eccentric or insane
slang, mainly US and Canadian a male homosexual
archaic offspring of man or animals; progeny
to bear or cause to bear fruit
Origin of fruit
1Derived forms of fruit
- fruitlike, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for fruit
[ frōōt ]
The ripened ovary of a flowering plant that contains the seeds, sometimes fused with other parts of the plant. Fruits can be dry or fleshy. Berries, nuts, grains, pods, and drupes are fruits.♦ Fruits that consist of ripened ovaries alone, such as the tomato and pea pod, are called true fruits. ♦ Fruits that consist of ripened ovaries and other parts such as the receptacle or bracts, as in the apple, are called accessory fruits or false fruits. See also aggregate fruit multiple fruit simple fruit. See Note at berry.
usage For fruit
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for fruit
In botany, the part of a seed-bearing plant that contains the fertilized seeds capable of generating a new plant (see fertilization). Fruit develops from the female part of the plant. Apples, peaches, tomatoes, and many other familiar foods are fruits.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with fruit
see bear fruit; forbidden fruit.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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