onion
A round white, yellow, or red bulb with a strong smell and taste that people cut and cook in many kinds of food.
A round or oval, usually strong-smelling bulb of the onion plant, used as a vegetable and flavoring in many dishes.
The plant that grows in the ground and makes the onion bulb that people eat.
A plant of the species Allium cepa, grown for its edible bulb and leaves.
A way to talk about a problem or story that has many different parts, like layers, that you find one after another.
A figurative use describing something, especially a situation or story, as having many layers of complexity that must be uncovered gradually.
- Base: onion
- Plural: onion, onions
French onion soup
1soup made mainly from onions
A rich soup made with many onions and stock, usually served with bread and melted cheese on top.
- I started my meal with a bowl of French onion soup.
- French onion soup tastes best with slow-cooked onions.
green onion
1young onion with long green leaves
A young onion with long green leaves and a small white bottom that people cut and eat in salads and many dishes.
- She sprinkled chopped green onion on top of the noodles.
- You can use green onion instead of regular onion in this recipe.
know your onions
1be very knowledgeable and competent
To know a lot about something and be very good at it.
- When it comes to computers, she really knows her onions.
- You can tell the new chef knows his onions from the way he works in the kitchen.
like an onion
1having many layers (figurative)
Used to say that something has many parts or levels that you can discover one after another, not all at once.
- Their relationship is like an onion, with more history than you first see.
- The novel is like an onion, revealing new truths chapter by chapter.
onion rings
1deep-fried battered onion slices
Round pieces of onion in batter, cooked in hot oil and eaten as a snack or with a meal.
- We ordered a burger with a side of onion rings.
- These onion rings are really crispy and sweet.
peel back the layers of the onion
1examine something layer by layer
To look more and more deeply into a problem, story, or person, finding new facts each time.
- The documentary slowly peels back the layers of the onion to reveal the truth.
- As we peel back the layers of the onion, more problems appear.
spring onion
1young onion (mainly BrE term)
A young onion with long green leaves, called this mainly in British English, eaten raw or cooked in many dishes.
- The salad is topped with sliced spring onion.
- Add some chopped spring onion right before serving.