melon
Americannoun
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the fruit of any of various plants of the gourd family, as the muskmelon or watermelon.
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medium crimson or deep pink.
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the visible upper portion of the head of a surfacing whale or dolphin, including the beak, eyes, and blowhole.
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Informal.
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a large extra dividend, often in the form of stock, to be distributed to stockholders.
Profits zoomed so in the last quarter that the corporation cut a nice melon.
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any windfall of money to be divided among specified participants.
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noun
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any of several varieties of two cucurbitaceous vines, cultivated for their edible fruit See muskmelon watermelon
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the fruit of any of these plants, which has a hard rind and juicy flesh
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slang to declare an abnormally high dividend to shareholders
Etymology
Origin of melon
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin mēlōn- (stem of mēlō ), short for mēlopepō < Greek mēlopépōn apple-shaped melon, equivalent to mêlo ( n ) apple + pépōn pepo
Explanation
A melon is a round, sweet fruit with a hard outer skin. Add some color to your fruit salad by including different types of melon, like honeydew and cantaloupe. Melons are actually a type of berry, although you wouldn't know that to look at a watermelon, which can weigh 20 pounds or more. Melons grow on vines, like squash and gourds, and their rinds are so thick they need to be cut open with a sharp knife. When a melon is ripe, its flesh is soft, sweet, and juicy. The Greek root is mēlopepon, "gourd-apple."
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.
Bitter melon, or uchche in Bengali—a staple in Ma’s cooking.
From Salon • May 9, 2026
The zoo said recent sightings have been centred around the same area, with thermal drones, camera traps and traps baited with melon being used to lure her out.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Quality sounds intuitively appealing to any shopper, from car-lot tire kickers to produce-aisle melon sniffers.
From Barron's • Dec. 26, 2025
Set in Trinity, Texas, during a strike among migrant melon pickers, the tale unfolds through the shifting viewpoints of several figures.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025
Min was inscribing lotus blossoms and peonies between the ribbed lines of one of the melon vases.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
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.
