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.

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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

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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

Sometimes I want the lemon flavor to be the whole point: a lemony avgolemono, for instance, or a chicken stew that tastes unabashedly citrusy.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

I know there are people out there like, “you should drink lemon water.”

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

This ageworthy bottling delivers big acidity, with notes of lime zest, white blossom, tangerine and grilled lemon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026

“It’s not at all like lemon curd. I tried to talk Mama out of doing this recipe. It’s made from curdled milk.”

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

My fridge is always stocked with: eggs, greens, a lot of Spindrift sparkling water, lemons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

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

A shelf says: I buy my tuna packed in olive oil, not water, and I know what to do with preserved lemons.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

My grandma’s garden feels like a wonderland, with trees full of bright lemons and limes, and large wooden planters overrun with leafy greens and all kinds of herbs.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio