zest
Americannoun
-
zests
plural
-
keen relish; hearty enjoyment; gusto.
-
an agreeable or piquant flavor imparted to something.
-
anything added to impart flavor, enhance one's appreciation, etc.
-
piquancy; interest; charm.
-
liveliness or energy; animating spirit.
-
the peel, especially the thin outer peel, of a citrus fruit used for flavoring.
lemon zest.
verb (used with object)
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zests,
present (3rd person singular)
-
zested,
past participle, past
-
zesting
present participle
noun
-
invigorating or keen excitement or enjoyment
a zest for living
-
added interest, flavour, or charm; piquancy
her presence gave zest to the occasion
-
something added to give flavour or relish
-
the peel or skin of an orange or lemon, used as flavouring in drinks, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
zestsimple
-
zestssimple
-
have zestedperfect
-
has zestedperfect
-
am zestingprogressive
-
are zestingprogressive
-
is zestingprogressive
-
have been zestingperfect progressive
-
has been zestingperfect progressive
Past
-
zestedsimple
-
had zestedperfect
-
was zestingprogressive
-
were zestingprogressive
-
had been zestingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of zest
1665–75; < French zest (now zeste ) orange or lemon peel used for flavoring < ?
Explanation
Zest is a kind of zeal or enthusiasm. If you've got a zest for something, you put your whole heart and soul into it. Dancers who have great zest leap, kick, and soar their way around the stage with a kind of joyful energy. Oddly enough, zest can also be the outer peel of a lemon or orange, which chefs scrape into their dishes when they want to add some tartness and tanginess to a recipe. People who live with that same kind of spice are said to have a "zest for life." In other words, they live their lives with a lot of flavor and gusto. A student who has a zest for learning dives into her books with an enjoyment and relish most people reserve for their wedding day.
Vocabulary lists containing zest
100 SAT words Beginning with W,X,Y, and Z
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A Culinary Vocabulary Sampler
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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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.
See Examples For:
His zest for life was palpable, accented by his pearly smile across the dimly lit windowless lounge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Instead of cooking the pasta separately, Meghan puts it directly on top of tomatoes with some lemon zest and greens, then pours boiling water over the whole mixture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
At times she seemed unsure of where she was, and eventually she lost her zest for life.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
For this cold noodle dish from Gu Grocery, blend toasted sesame seeds with soy sauce, rice vinegar, pickled mustard greens, and orange zest and juice for maximum flavor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Francis’ quick verbal tour through the structure and its implications lost none of its zest for having been given several times each day for the past week.
From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson
Turn the speed of your mixer down to medium, and add in your eggs one at a time, followed by your sour cream, citrus zests, and vanilla extract, making sure it is all evenly combined.
From Salon ● Jun. 19, 2022
Jawad says the toast can be made in an over or air fryer and can be paired with fruit zests, syrups, sugars, flavored flakes, nut butters, chocolate, vanilla extract and spices like nutmeg.
From Fox News ● Feb. 17, 2022
During the lunch rush, Clevenger moves like a man who has as many arms as an octopus — boiling pastas and sauteing over eight burners and plating and dusting lemon zests and breadcrumbs to finish.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 29, 2018
Such zests as his particular little phial of cayenne pepper and his pennyworth of pickles in a saucer, were not wanting.
From Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Mind and education, the zests of life, were wanting.
From A Woman's Journey Round the World by Ida Pfeiffer
Cut the zested limes in half, squeeze out 2 tablespoons juice and whisk into the coriander mixture to make a dressing.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 22, 2022
To serve, place chicken on a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil and a large squeeze of the zested lemon.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 24, 2022
Remember the lemon we zested for our cornish game hens?
From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2021
To this mixture I added chicken stock and heavy cream, let the sauce simmer until it thickened, then zested and juiced a big lemon directly over the skillet.
From Salon ● Feb. 18, 2019
Miss Matilda was aware of a slackening from the keen excitement and zested peril of their escape.
From Where the Pavement Ends by John Russell
It turns zesting into a gesture instead of a task: a quick flick of the wrist, a fine snowfall of citrus oils that hits a warm dish and blooms immediately.
From Salon ● Apr. 21, 2026
Photo: Microplane The Microplane is incredible for grating cheese super-fine and fast, it’s the ideal citrus zesting device, and it’s a solid replacement for a garlic press, all for a very reasonable price.
From The Verge ● May 18, 2022
If you must use those artisanal cocktail kits, keep them close to you and make sure you’re not accidentally zesting your neighbors with garnish.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 12, 2020
When zesting citrus, I like to hold the fruit in one hand and grate with the teeth facing up so that the zest collects in the channel and I can see how much I’ve gotten.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 15, 2019
“I’m chopping and zesting and eating foods I’ve never tried before,” she said, “with ingredients I would have never thought of buying, like Meyer lemons and watermelon radishes.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 30, 2016
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.
