Meaning & use
onion
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A round vegetable with a strong smell and taste, consisting of many layers, used in cooking.
Grammar: Countable when referring to a single one ('an onion'), uncountable when referring to the chopped vegetable as an ingredient ('add onion').
Patterns
- an onion
- onion soup
- chop an onion
She chopped an onion and added it to the pan.
Onion is a key ingredient in many soups and stews.
The recipe calls for two onions, finely sliced.
nouncountable
The bulb of this plant, which can be red, white, or yellow and is eaten as a vegetable.
Grammar: Countable: you can count individual bulbs, e.g., 'three onions'.
Patterns
- red onion
- white onion
- a bag of onions
I prefer red onions in salads for their color and milder taste.
He planted onions in the garden last spring.
The grocery store sells onions by the bag.
Word forms
| plural | onions |
|---|
Common combinations
- chop an onion
- Chop an onion finely before adding it to the oil.
- onion soup
- French onion soup is topped with cheese and bread.
- red onion
- Add some sliced red onion to the salad.
- onion rings
- We ordered onion rings with our burgers.
- layer of an onion
- Understanding the problem was like peeling back the layers of an onion.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shallot
- A shallot is a smaller, milder relative of the onion, often used in delicate sauces.
- scallion
- A scallion (also green onion) is a young onion with a long green top, used raw or lightly cooked.
Word family
- oniony adjective
- Having the smell or taste of onions.
Commonly confused: onion or union?
onion vs union
Union means an organization of workers or a joining together; onion is the vegetable. They sound similar but are unrelated.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'onion' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'An onion' is correct because 'onion' starts with a vowel sound. 'An onion' is wrong because 'a' is used before consonant sounds. 'Onion' without an article is possible when uncountable, but here a single onion is meant, so 'an' is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “onion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.