Meaning & use
lemon
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A yellow citrus fruit with a sour taste, used in cooking, drinks, and for flavoring.
Grammar: Countable when referring to the whole fruit (a lemon), uncountable when referring to the juice or flavor.
Patterns
- a lemon
- lemon juice
- squeeze a lemon
She added a slice of lemon to her tea.
This cake needs the juice of two lemons.
Lemon is a common flavor in desserts.
nouncountableinformal
A product, especially a car, that is defective and causes problems.
Grammar: Informal and often used in consumer contexts.
Patterns
- a lemon
- buy a lemon
The used car turned out to be a lemon; it broke down constantly.
He regretted buying that laptop—it was a real lemon.
Word forms
| plural | lemons |
|---|
Common combinations
- lemon juice
- Add a tablespoon of lemon juice to the sauce.
- lemon tree
- They grow lemon trees in their backyard.
- lemonade
- On hot days, we sell lemonade.
- a slice of lemon
- He put a slice of lemon in his water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- citrus
- A broader category that includes lemons, oranges, and limes.
Word family
- lemonade noun
- A sweet drink made from lemon juice, water, and sugar.
- lemony adjective
- Having the taste or smell of lemon.
Commonly confused: lemon or lime?
lemon vs lime
A lime is a small green citrus fruit, similar to a lemon but usually more bitter and smaller.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'lemon' to mean a defective product?
Choose one answer.
The informal sense 'a lemon' refers to a faulty product. The other options refer to the fruit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “lemon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.