What does "onion" mean?
A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
Onion
/ˈʌn.jən/ noun, slang
noun, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- Grammar: onion is listed as noun, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: onion plant, allium bulb, allium cepa, allium cepa plant.
- Useful contrasts: shallots.
- Usage evidence: I only need one onion for this recipe.
How to use "onion"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "onion" 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 "onion" 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 "onion" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "onion" 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 "onion" is acting as noun, 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 "onion plant" 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 "onion", 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 monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
"Some of the weeds that cause an undesirable flavor in milk are: onion, tarweed, scaleweed, garlic, mustard, pepper grass."
- 2 An inhabitant of Bermuda; a Bermudian. slang
- 3 an aromatic flavorful vegetable wordnet
- 4 The bulb of such a plant.
"My eyes are stinging from the chopped onions."
- 5 bulbous plant having hollow leaves cultivated worldwide for its rounded edible bulb wordnet
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 Any of various plants, mostly of the genus Allium, that are more or less similar to Allium cepa.
"Many onions are delicious; domesticated onions such as Allium cepa and Allium fistulosum are especially good, but even wild onions such as Allium canadense and Allium validum are nice in small doses."
- 7 the bulb of an onion plant wordnet
- 8 Of a drug, an ounce. slang
- 9 A ball. obsolete, slang
- 10 A watch-seal. obsolete, slang
"[…] M was a Magsman, frequenting Pall-Mall; / N was a Nose that turned chirp on his pal; / O was an Onion, possessed by a swell; / P was a Pannie, done niblike and well. […]"
- 11 Alternative letter-case form of Onion (“an inhabitant of Bermuda; a Bermudian”). alt-of
- 12 Soy, particularly when used in compound words related to the soy boy stereotype. slang
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I only need one onion for this recipe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "onion"?
Common synonyms include: onion plant, allium bulb, allium cepa, allium cepa plant, bulb vegetable, condiment.
How do you use "onion" in a sentence?
I only need one onion for this recipe.
How do you pronounce "onion"?
Pronounced /ˈʌn.jən/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English onyoun, oynoun, from Old French oignon, from Latin ūniōnem, accusative of ūniō (“onion”), which had also been borrowed into Old English as yne, ynnelēac (“onion”) (> Middle English hynne-leac, henne-leac). Also displaced Middle English knelek (literally “knee-leek”) and the inherited term ramsons. * (soy): Stems from a 4chan word filter which changes the word soy to onions. The word filter was implemented in relation to the "alpha onion eater" meme, which is depicted as the direct opposite of the soy boy.
Etymology 2
In reference to the large quantities of onions grown on Bermuda.