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

To start, whisk together Parmesan, lemon juice, oil, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, salt and pepper.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

Finish with finely grated lemon zest and a confetti of chopped chives.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

Christopher Nolan and Matt Damon got people to do what teachers never could; ‘It’s not like we’re trying to sell you a lemon here’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

In parts of southern Meta and Guaviare, coca fields were replaced by lemon trees, banana crops and small livestock farms.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Mama poured a glass of lemon water from the icebox and came and sat in the chair in front of me.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

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

Farmers arrived at dawn with tomatoes, gourds, chillies, lemons and melons.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

Michael Cochran is calculating and tacking on additional per-box fuel costs to the Florida lemons he sells to local retailers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

I’m squeezing lemons for the lemonade stand Zack and I set up on our street corner.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass