What does "lemon" mean?
A yellowish citrus fruit.
Lemon
/ˈlɛmən/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A yellowish citrus fruit.
- Grammar: lemon is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: lemon yellow, acid, acidulant, aureate.
- Useful contrasts: bland, dillies, non citrus fruit.
- Usage evidence: If you add lemon, it will become sour.
How to use "lemon"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "lemon" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "lemon" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "lemon" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "lemon" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "lemon" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "lemon yellow" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "lemon", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A yellowish citrus fruit. countable, uncountable
"The juice of Lemmons killeth Warts, but better the water of the ſame juice, diſtilled through a glaſs."
- 2 an artifact (especially an automobile) that is defective or unsatisfactory wordnet
- 3 A semitropical evergreen tree, Citrus limon, that bears such fruits. countable, uncountable
- 4 a strong yellow color wordnet
- 5 A more or less bright shade of yellow associated with lemon fruits. countable, uncountable
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 a distinctive tart flavor characteristic of lemons wordnet
- 7 Lemon juice. rare, uncountable
"[J]uſt at the laſt ſcald four or five ſpoonfuls of thick new cream, with a few drops of lemon or vinegar, muſhrooms pickled do well, […]"
- 8 yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh wordnet
- 9 A lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris). countable, uncountable
- 10 a small evergreen tree that originated in Asia but is widely cultivated for its fruit wordnet
- 11 A defective or inadequate item or individual. countable, slang, uncountable
"He didn’t realise until he’d paid for it that the car was a lemon."
- 12 Favor. Cockney, countable, slang, uncountable
"A thousand quid for that motor? Do me a lemon! I could get it for half that."
- 13 A piece of fanfiction involving explicit sex. countable, dated, slang, uncountable
"I'd really like to know what people think of this and whether I should carry on writing lemons or go and hide under a rock somewhere."
- 14 The surface of revolution of a circular arc of angle less than 180° rotated about the straight line passing through the arc’s two endpoints. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To flavour with lemon. transitive
"You can start the vegetables cooking while you are lemoning the fish."
Adjective
- 1 Containing or having the flavour/flavor and/or scent of lemons.
- 2 Of the pale yellow colour/color of lemons.
- 3 Smart; cheeky, vocal. Cockney, slang
"Obviously Emin is not the first public figure to get lemon over tax increases."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname. countable, uncountable
- 2 An unincorporated community in McLean County, Kentucky, United States. countable, uncountable
- 3 A minor river in Devon, England, which joins the River Teign at Newton Abbot. countable, uncountable
Example
"If you add lemon, it will become sour."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "lemon"?
Common synonyms include: lemon yellow, acid, acidulant, aureate, auric, beige.
How do you use "lemon" in a sentence?
If you add lemon, it will become sour.
How do you pronounce "lemon"?
Pronounced /ˈlɛmən/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Arabic ليمونbor. Old French lymonbor. Middle English lymon English lemon Inherited from Middle English lymon, from Old French lymon (“citrus”), from Arabic لَيْمُون (laymūn) or Persian لیمون (limon), from Persian لیمو (limu), from Sanskrit निम्बू (nimbū, “lime”), ultimately from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *limaw or Munda. Likely a doublet of lime. The fandom sense is named after the erotic anime series Cream Lemon.