Illustration of lemon
- branch with fruit and flowers
1
a
: an acid fruit that is botanically a many-seeded pale yellow oblong berry produced by a small thorny citrus tree (Citrus limon) and that has a rind from which an aromatic oil is extracted
b
: a tree that bears lemons
2
: something (such as an automobile) that is unsatisfactory or defective
1
: of the color lemon yellow
2
a
: containing lemon
b
: having the flavor or scent of lemon
Synonyms
Examples of lemon in a Sentence
Noun
The recipe calls for the juice of two lemons.
Garnish it with a slice of lemon.
Our new car is a lemon.
Recent Examples on the Web
Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
The drink’s strong lemon flavor was mellowed by a light, unremarkable sweetness that came from brazzein, a sugar substitute green-lighted by the FDA last month.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Heather The relaxed throw-and-go style comes in 11 colors, including versatile neutrals, like heather gray, powder white, and classic black, as well as a few punchy ones like fiery red and zesty lemon lime.
—Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Featured entrees include crusted cod with lemon and caper cream sauce, garlic and herb pork loin, a mushroom and asparagus quiche, and traditional breakfast items.
—Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024
The kitchen was filled with the fragrance of tomatoes, lemon and olive oil.
—Nada Rashwan Amir Hamja, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Strain into a cocktail glass, top with sparkling wine, and garnish with a lemon peel.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Classic Grilled Oysters Yes, raw oysters with just a squeeze of lemon or a dash of hot sauce are great.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
During the first few days of the April cruise, other fresh fish dishes included sea bass with lemon butter sauce and tapenade at brasserie Rudi’s Sel de Mer and trout with a bread crumb and cashew crust served in a curry sauce with at Asian restaurant Tamarind.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu, Bon Appétit, 16 June 2023
With intoxicating notes of lemon essential oil, blackcurrant bud absolute, raspberry rose Damascena essential oil, cedarwood essential oil, and musk, the eau is sweet and citrusy yet not too overpowering.
—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 22 Nov. 2022
Their other copy of that gene, as well as both copies in non-lemon-frost leopard geckos, did not have those differences in the DNA sequence.
—Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 24 June 2021
And there's a sauce for everyone's taste, from lemon garlic lobster to mango habanero steak and shrimp and chicken bacon ranch dishes.
—Dahlia Ghabour, The Courier-Journal, 27 May 2021
Makes 8 shots 6 ounces dry rosé 1½ ounces Campari
2 ounces lemon juice
½ ounce maraschino cherry liquid
Maraschino cherries, such as Luxardo
In a shaker filled with ice, combine the rosé, Campari, lemon juice, and maraschino cherry liquid.
—Rebekah Peppler, Bon Appétit, 26 Aug. 2019
Make LEMON PUDDING (from a mix) with 1 percent milk for dessert.
—Susan Nicholson, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2017
Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic .5 oz. Lemon juice 4 oz.
—Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 18 Dec. 2015
Noun
Add lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 1/2 tsp.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 26 Apr. 2024
The drink’s strong lemon flavor was mellowed by a light, unremarkable sweetness that came from brazzein, a sugar substitute green-lighted by the FDA last month.
—Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Heather The relaxed throw-and-go style comes in 11 colors, including versatile neutrals, like heather gray, powder white, and classic black, as well as a few punchy ones like fiery red and zesty lemon lime.
—Jennifer Chan, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024
Featured entrees include crusted cod with lemon and caper cream sauce, garlic and herb pork loin, a mushroom and asparagus quiche, and traditional breakfast items.
—Journal Sentinel, 26 Apr. 2024
The kitchen was filled with the fragrance of tomatoes, lemon and olive oil.
—Nada Rashwan Amir Hamja, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Strain into a cocktail glass, top with sparkling wine, and garnish with a lemon peel.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2024
Classic Grilled Oysters Yes, raw oysters with just a squeeze of lemon or a dash of hot sauce are great.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
During the first few days of the April cruise, other fresh fish dishes included sea bass with lemon butter sauce and tapenade at brasserie Rudi’s Sel de Mer and trout with a bread crumb and cashew crust served in a curry sauce with at Asian restaurant Tamarind.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Order a side of fries, which is big enough to share between two people, and top things off with a lemon Italian ice—the only flavor available.
—Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu, Bon Appétit, 16 June 2023
With intoxicating notes of lemon essential oil, blackcurrant bud absolute, raspberry rose Damascena essential oil, cedarwood essential oil, and musk, the eau is sweet and citrusy yet not too overpowering.
—Roxanne Adamiyatt, Town & Country, 22 Nov. 2022
Their other copy of that gene, as well as both copies in non-lemon-frost leopard geckos, did not have those differences in the DNA sequence.
—Maddie Bender, Scientific American, 24 June 2021
And there's a sauce for everyone's taste, from lemon garlic lobster to mango habanero steak and shrimp and chicken bacon ranch dishes.
—Dahlia Ghabour, The Courier-Journal, 27 May 2021
Makes 8 shots 6 ounces dry rosé 1½ ounces Campari
2 ounces lemon juice
½ ounce maraschino cherry liquid
Maraschino cherries, such as Luxardo
In a shaker filled with ice, combine the rosé, Campari, lemon juice, and maraschino cherry liquid.
—Rebekah Peppler, Bon Appétit, 26 Aug. 2019
Make LEMON PUDDING (from a mix) with 1 percent milk for dessert.
—Susan Nicholson, Twin Cities, 16 Apr. 2017
Jack Rudy Elderflower Tonic .5 oz. Lemon juice 4 oz.
—Sam Dangremond, Town & Country, 18 Dec. 2015
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lemon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lemon
Cite this Entry
“Lemon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lemon. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
lemon
noun
lem·on
ˈlem-ən 
: an acid fruit that contains citric acid and vitamin C, is botanically a many-seeded pale yellow oblong berry, and is produced by a small thorny tree of the genus Citrus (C. limon)
also
: this tree
lemon
adjective
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