lemon

American  

[lem-uhn] / ˈlɛm ən /

noun

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

• lemon-like adjective
• lemonish adjective
• lemonlike adjective
• lemony adjective

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

Example Sentences

Sometimes she would bring him a pint of strawberry or lemon ice cream.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Finish with lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, grated Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.

From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026

The new rules say product descriptions containing the name of a citrus fruit, such as "lemon marmalade", will be allowed as an alternative.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

A lemon tree was charred, and an avocado tree had shed all of its fruit.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

Then I remembered the recipe for lemon blueberry pie that was inside it, so I picked up a container of the blueberries.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks