lemon
gb/lˈɛmən/ us/lˈɛmən/
A1
English
~ 6700
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Small sour yellow citrus fruit
A small yellow fruit that tastes very sour.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "lemon" and "lemonade". "Lemon" is the fruit; "lemonade" is the sweet drink made from lemons, water, and sugar.
Synonyms
citrus fruit (More general; includes lemons, oranges, limes and similar fruits, not only lemons.)
Collocations
slice of lemon
|fresh lemon
|lemon peel
|lemon wedges
|lemon tree
Themes
food
|nature
|daily life
|food_drink
Examples
- She squeezed half a lemon over the grilled fish.
- The recipe calls for one whole lemon, thinly sliced.
- He added a slice of lemon to his cup of tea.
- The tree in their backyard produces dozens of lemons each year.
- I bought a bag of lemons to make fresh lemonade.
Learner examples
- I put a slice of lemon in my water.
- This lemon is very sour.
- We have three lemons on the table.
- She cuts a lemon and makes juice.
- There is a big lemon on the tree.
Noun
A2
entity
2
Lemon juice or lemon flavor
The sour juice or taste from a lemon that you add to food or drinks.
Usage pattern:
add [lemon] to [food or drink]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "taste of lemon is strong" where a more natural phrase is "it has a strong lemon taste" or "it tastes strongly of lemon." Also, some learners overuse "lemon juice" when they only mean a light lemon flavor.
Synonyms
lemon juice (More specific; clearly refers to the liquid, while "lemon" can mean the flavor in general.)
Collocations
lemon juice
|lemon zest
|lemon flavor
|lemon dressing
|lemon sauce
Themes
food
|cooking
|daily life
|food_drink
Examples
- I like my water with a little lemon.
- Add some lemon to the salad dressing to make it brighter.
- This cake has a strong lemon taste.
- The fish is served with a light lemon and butter sauce.
- Grate a bit of lemon over the pasta just before serving.
Learner examples
- She puts lemon in her tea.
- I like ice cream with lemon taste.
- Please add some lemon to the soup.
- This drink has a fresh lemon flavor.
- He uses lemon and sugar on his pancakes.
adjective
B1
property
3
Pale yellow like a lemon
Light yellow in color, like a lemon.
Usage pattern:
[lemon] [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "lemon color" when a more natural phrase in many cases is "lemon" as an adjective (e.g. "a lemon dress" instead of "a dress of lemon color"). Both are understandable, but the shorter adjectival use is more idiomatic.
Synonyms
pale yellow (Describes the same general color but is more technical and less expressive than "lemon".)
Antonyms
dark (Describes colors with little or no lightness, which contrasts with the light, bright quality of a lemon color.)
Collocations
lemon yellow
|lemon dress
|lemon cardigan
|lemon walls
|lemon paint
Themes
colors
|appearance
|fashion
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She wore a simple lemon dress to the party.
- We painted the kitchen a soft lemon yellow.
- He chose a lemon shirt to match his gray suit.
- The room is decorated in lemon and white.
- I love that pair of shoes in bright lemon.
Learner examples
- Her skirt is lemon yellow.
- They have lemon walls in their living room.
- He buys a lemon T-shirt for the summer.
- I like your lemon jacket.
- The box is a light lemon color.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
4
Badly defective product
A car or other thing you buy that is very bad and breaks or does not work well.
Usage pattern:
buy [a lemon]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes think this meaning is positive because lemons are healthy fruits. In this sense, however, "a lemon" is negative and means something is bad or broken. Do not use it to praise a product.
Synonyms
dud (Informal like "lemon"; suggests something that does not work or perform as expected.)
Antonyms
gem (Informal; suggests a product that is unusually good or reliable, the opposite of a faulty "lemon".)
Collocations
buy a lemon
|turn out to be a lemon
|a real lemon
|a bit of a lemon
|stuck with a lemon
Themes
business
|shopping
|technology
|daily_life
Examples
- The used car he bought turned out to be a complete lemon.
- If the phone is a lemon, you should be able to return it under the warranty.
- We realized the laptop was a lemon when it broke down three times in one month.
- They sued the dealer for selling them a lemon.
- Unfortunately, my new washing machine is a bit of a lemon.
Learner examples
- This old car is a lemon. It always breaks.
- I think my new phone is a lemon.
- She bought a lemon and now she is very angry.
- Their TV was a lemon, so they took it back to the shop.
- No one wants to buy a lemon.
Noun
informal
C1
entity
5
Person seen as useless
A person who seems stupid or not helpful, or who cannot do something well.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a lemon
Common mistake:
This sense is mainly British and informal. Learners sometimes try to use it in formal writing or do not realize it can sound rude. It is better in casual speech among people you know well.
Synonyms
idiot (Stronger and more directly insulting; "lemon" can sound slightly softer and more situation-specific.)
Antonyms
star (Informal; describes someone who performs very well or is very capable, the opposite of a "lemon" in this sense.)
Collocations
feel like a lemon
|look like a lemon
|a bit of a lemon
Themes
people
|emotions
|insults
|relationships
Examples
- I just stood there like a lemon while everyone else was helping.
- He turned out to be a bit of a lemon in the new job.
- She felt like a lemon waiting alone in the corner.
- Without any training, they made me run the event and I looked like a complete lemon.
- Everyone was busy and I was just sitting there like a lemon.
Learner examples
- I stood there like a lemon and did nothing.
- He was a bit of a lemon at the meeting.
- She felt like a lemon because she did not know what to do.
- I do not want to look like a lemon in front of my friends.
- He thinks he is helping, but he is a lemon.
Noun
B1
entity
6
Tree that grows lemons
The tree that lemons grow on.
Usage pattern:
a lemon tree
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say "lemon tree" for the fruit itself. Use "a lemon" for the fruit and "a lemon tree" or simply "a lemon" (in gardening contexts) for the plant.
Collocations
lemon tree
|plant a lemon tree
|grow a lemon tree
Themes
nature
|plants
Examples
- They planted a lemon in the backyard last spring.
- The old lemon in front of the house still bears fruit every year.
- A healthy lemon needs a lot of sun and well-drained soil.
- He grows oranges and lemons on his small farm.
- The nursery is selling young lemons for home gardens.
Learner examples
- There is a big lemon in their garden.
- She wants to grow a lemon at home.
- This lemon has many yellow fruits.
- We planted a small lemon last year.
- The lemon in the pot needs more water.
Grammar
Dictionary form
lemon
IPA
GB/lˈɛmən/
US/lˈɛmən/
Syllables & stress
lem - on (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (lem)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: lemon
- Plural: lemon, lemons
Word family
Expressions
a bit of a lemon
1/ə bˈɪt əv ə lˈɛmən/
fixed phrase
informal
Somewhat useless or disappointing
Used to say that something or someone is not very good or useful.
Examples
- The new software is a bit of a lemon and crashes all the time.
- He turned out to be a bit of a lemon in the role of project manager.
- This printer is a bit of a lemon; it jams every few pages.
buy a lemon
1/bˈaɪ ə lˈɛmən/
fixed phrase
informal
Purchase a defective product
To buy something, usually a car, that turns out to be very bad or broken.
Examples
- We really bought a lemon with this car; it has been in the shop three times already.
- She worries that she might buy a lemon if she chooses the cheapest laptop.
- If you buy a lemon, check if the warranty or lemon law can protect you.
feel like a lemon
1/fˈil lˈaɪk ə lˈɛmən/
idiom
informal
Feel awkward or useless
To feel stupid, useless, or that you do not belong in a situation.
Examples
- I didn’t know anyone at the party and just stood there feeling like a lemon.
- Without any instructions, the new employee felt like a lemon in his first week.
- She felt like a lemon while everyone else was busy working.
lemon law
1/lˈɛmən lˈɔ/
fixed phrase
technical
Law protecting buyers of lemons
A law that helps people when they buy a very bad car or other big product that does not work properly.
Examples
- In many U.S. states, the lemon law allows you to return a defective new car.
- They contacted a lawyer to see if the lemon law applied to their situation.
- Thanks to the lemon law, she received a full refund for the faulty vehicle.
lemon yellow
1/lˈɛmən jˈɛloʊ/
fixed phrase
Bright pale lemon color
A bright, light yellow color like a lemon.
Examples
- She painted her bedroom lemon yellow to make it feel sunnier.
- The artist mixed white and yellow to get a soft lemon yellow.
- He bought a lemon yellow raincoat for the trip.
look like a lemon
1/lˈʊk lˈaɪk ə lˈɛmən/
idiom
informal
Appear foolish or out of place
To look stupid, awkward, or not useful in a situation.
Examples
- They forgot to tell me the plan, so I just stood there looking like a lemon.
- He didn’t want to look like a lemon in front of his new colleagues.
- Without the right equipment, the photographer said he would look like a lemon on the job.
when life gives you lemons, make lemonade
1/wˈɛn lˈaɪf ɡˈɪvz jˈu lˈɛmənz | mˈeɪk lˈɛmənˈeɪd/
idiom
Turn problems into opportunities
If something bad happens, try to use it to make something good.
Examples
- I know losing your job is hard, but remember: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
- She really lives by the idea of when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and turned her mistake into a new business.
- He quoted the saying "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" to encourage his team after the setback.
when life gives you lemons, make lemonade
1/wˈɛn lˈaɪf ɡˈɪvz jˈu lˈɛmənz | mˈeɪk lˈɛmənˈeɪd/
idiom
turn problems into opportunities
try to find something good in a bad situation
Examples
- I didn’t get the job, but I met someone who offered me freelance work—when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
- She treated the setback as a chance to learn: when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
- He laughed and said, “Well, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”