tangerine

American  

[tan-juh-reen, tan-juh-reen] / ˌtæn dʒəˈrin, ˈtæn dʒəˌrin /

noun

• tangerines
  plural

1. Also called mandarin, mandarin orange. any of several varieties of mandarin, cultivated widely, especially in the U.S.

2. deep orange; reddish orange.

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adjective

1. of the color tangerine; reddish-orange.

tangerine ¹ British  

/ ˌtændʒəˈriːn /

noun

1. a native of inhabitant of Tangier

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adjective

1. of or relating to Tangier or its inhabitants

tangerine ² British  

/ ˌtændʒəˈriːn /

noun

1. an Asian citrus tree, Citrus reticulata, cultivated for its small edible orange-like fruits

2. the fruit of this tree, having a loose rind and sweet spicy flesh

3. 1. a reddish-orange colour

   2. ( as adjective )

      a tangerine door

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tangerines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of tangerine

Tang(i)er + -ine ¹

Compare meaning

How does tangerine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• tangelo vs. tangerine

Explanation

A tangerine is a kind of citrus tree, and it's also the name of the fruit the tree produces. Tangerines are like little oranges. Delicious! Some people prefer tangerines to oranges, because they're small, they have thin, loose skin that's easy to peel, and they are often sweeter than oranges. In the 1840s, tangerines were called tangerine oranges, or "oranges from Tangier" by the British. They were originally imported from Tangier, Morocco, and are a variety of mandarin orange.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tangerine tangerines

There are also around 16 fruit trees on the property—including orange, tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, and lime trees—as well as a brick-enclosed vegetable garden.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 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 totally blindsided me - I had a tumour the size of a tangerine which had a cyst attached to it," Kirsty said.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

A custom metal hood by Practice Fabrication, powder-coated the color of a Pixie tangerine, adds a sense of fun.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2025

She spent hours on the riverbank with her little plastic transistor shaped like a tangerine.

From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy

To be clear: These athletes aren’t chowing on the yucky old sports gels we all know and hate, the ones that taste like tangerines and moldy baseball gloves.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

But others, like the Hidatsa Red bean, prevalent in the Dakotas, and the Ojai Pixie tangerines grown in Southern California, are newer additions to the ever-growing catalog.

From Salon ● May 8, 2024

The oranges, tangerines and Minneolas have been so delicious.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 25, 2024

Most of the water pumped from wells in the Central Valley supplies farms that produce a wide variety of crops, from almonds to tangerines.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 11, 2023

We spent the halftime sitting in a semicircle by the far goal, eating our tangerines.

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor