orange

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noun or·ange \ ˈär-inj , ˈär(-ə)nj ; chiefly Northern & Midland ȯr-inj , ˈȯr(-ə)nj \

Definition of orange

1 a :a globose berry with a yellowish to reddish-orange rind and a sweet edible pulp

He peeled an orange.

b :any of various small evergreen citrus trees (genus Citrus) with glossy ovate leaves, hard yellow wood, fragrant white flowers, and fruits that are oranges

2 :any of several trees or fruits resembling the orange

3 :any of a group of colors that are between red and yellow in hue

Orange is about midway between red and yellow in hue.

See orange defined for English-language learners

See orange defined for kids

Recent Examples of orange from the Web

This imperial milk porter is strong (11 percent alcohol), yet all the starring ingredients — espresso, cinammon and blood orange — announced themselves with firm authority.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "If it's Tuesday, this must be a Belgian ale: beer-stained notes from a European vacation," 22 Aug. 2017
Her name was on shirts emblazoned with her favorite color, orange.

— james weber, Cincinnati.com, "Boone County honors deceased captain Abbey Zimmer," 22 Aug. 2017
And yes, even on this minute level there are roadblocks and collisions (imagine the tiny orange cones!) that can disrupt replication and other processes crucial to genomic stability.

— gemma tarlach, Discover Magazine, "20 Things You Didn't Know About ... Traffic," 7 Aug. 2017
The yellow-and-orange peaches could be seen hanging from the branches, about the size of baseballs.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Popular orchard on Mason-Dixon Line could be in path of big power line project," 3 Aug. 2017
ORDER THE: oysters to start and some Paleokerisio, a funky orange sparkling wine.

— Bon Appetit, "Bar Normandy," 1 Aug. 2017
Known as Steve Rogers through his childhood and adolescence, the younger Mr. Shepard grew up on his family’s avocado farm in Duarte, Calif. Jobs in his youth included stablehand, orange picker and sheep shearer.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Sam Shepard, Actor and Pulitzer-Winning Playwright, Is Dead at 73," 31 July 2017
Instead of folksy sepia and black-and-white, there are vivid jade-green jungles and horrific blooms of napalm that explode into orange and then gradually turn smoky black.

— david kamp, HWD, "Why The Vietnam War Is Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s Most Ambitious Project Yet," 18 July 2017
People of all ages can enjoy free doughnuts, orange juice and coffee, while admiring horses on the track, observing question-and-answer sessions with jockeys and trainers, and enjoying family-friendly activities.

— emily sorensen, Pomerado News, "Del Mar primed for a ‘fantastic’ racing season," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'orange.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of orange

Middle English, from Anglo-French orrange, araunge, from Old Occitan auranja, from Arabic nāranj, from Persian nārang, from Sanskrit nāraṅga orange tree

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1532

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

orange

adjective

Definition of orange

1 :of or relating to the orange

2 :of the color orange

Recent Examples of orange from the Web

Tickets — sold at the event — are $7 for adults and $3 for children, which includes all-you-can-eat regular or blueberry pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Kiwanians to hold 49th annual pancake breakfast on Saturday," 30 Aug. 2017
Hundreds of annoying orange barrels – all apparently owned by Bob – seem ripe for ramming.

— linda robertson, miamiherald, "They put everything into their taco shop. The mess outside is destroying it all," 28 Aug. 2017
The torso was found without clothing, and the police asked locals to look out for the apparel Ms. Wall was wearing when she was last seen: a bright orange blouse, a black-and-white flowered skirt and white shoes.

— martin selsoe sorensen and christina anderson, New York Times, "Murder Charge Sought in Death of Kim Wall, Swedish Journalist," 24 Aug. 2017
Garnish with an orange twist and a sprinkle of flake smoked salt.

— helin jung, Cosmopolitan, "22 Spooky Halloween Cocktail Concoctions," 15 Aug. 2017
King George V, the queen's grandfather, sent a Royal Navy cruiser to evacuate Philip's family and he was whisked to safety in a cot made from an orange box.

— Bloomberg.com, "Prince Philip, 96, Bids Adieu With Final Solo Official Duty," 2 Aug. 2017
Add the orange flower water and vodka to the bowl, and stir.

— eric velasco, AL.com, "Learn how to craft the perfect cocktail," 27 July 2017
Photographs of the 1956 Ford Fairlane show a glossy-black car with yellow and orange flames flaring back from the gleaming grill.

— tim potter, kansascity, "After hot rod crashes, the owner sues for $700,000," 22 July 2017
The contaminants were represented by blue and orange balls.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "Building a robot is one of many skills these students have mastered," 20 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of orange

see ¹orange

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1542

See Words from the same year

Other Color Terms

argentine, cerise, cerulean, cyan, ocher, perse, puce, taupe, vermilion

Orange

adjective

Definition of Orange

:of, relating to, or sympathizing with Orangemen

—

Orangeism

play \ˈär-in-ˌji-zəm, ˈär(ə-)n-, ˈȯr-in-, ˈȯr(ə-)n-\ noun

Recent Examples of orange from the Web

Tickets — sold at the event — are $7 for adults and $3 for children, which includes all-you-can-eat regular or blueberry pancakes, sausage, orange juice and coffee.

— elizabeth marie himchak, Rancho Bernardo, "Kiwanians to hold 49th annual pancake breakfast on Saturday," 30 Aug. 2017
Hundreds of annoying orange barrels – all apparently owned by Bob – seem ripe for ramming.

— linda robertson, miamiherald, "They put everything into their taco shop. The mess outside is destroying it all," 28 Aug. 2017
The torso was found without clothing, and the police asked locals to look out for the apparel Ms. Wall was wearing when she was last seen: a bright orange blouse, a black-and-white flowered skirt and white shoes.

— martin selsoe sorensen and christina anderson, New York Times, "Murder Charge Sought in Death of Kim Wall, Swedish Journalist," 24 Aug. 2017
Garnish with an orange twist and a sprinkle of flake smoked salt.

— helin jung, Cosmopolitan, "22 Spooky Halloween Cocktail Concoctions," 15 Aug. 2017
King George V, the queen's grandfather, sent a Royal Navy cruiser to evacuate Philip's family and he was whisked to safety in a cot made from an orange box.

— Bloomberg.com, "Prince Philip, 96, Bids Adieu With Final Solo Official Duty," 2 Aug. 2017
Add the orange flower water and vodka to the bowl, and stir.

— eric velasco, AL.com, "Learn how to craft the perfect cocktail," 27 July 2017
Photographs of the 1956 Ford Fairlane show a glossy-black car with yellow and orange flames flaring back from the gleaming grill.

— tim potter, kansascity, "After hot rod crashes, the owner sues for $700,000," 22 July 2017
The contaminants were represented by blue and orange balls.

— zahra ahmad, Science | AAAS, "Building a robot is one of many skills these students have mastered," 20 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'Orange.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of orange

1795

Orange

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geographical name Or·ange \ ˈär-inj , ˈär(-ə)nj , ˈȯr-inj , ˈȯr(-ə)nj \

Definition of Orange

1 city in southwestern California north of Santa Ana population 136,416

2 river 1300 miles (2092 kilometers) long in southern Africa flowing from the Drakensberg Mountains in Lesotho west into the Atlantic Ocean

Orange

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geographical name \ ȯ-ˈräⁿzh \

Definition of Orange

city in southeastern France north of Avignon population 29,135

ORANGE Defined for English Language Learners

orange

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noun

Definition of orange for English Language Learners

: a citrus fruit that is round and that has an orange skin
: a color between red and yellow that is like the color of fire and carrots

ORANGE Defined for Kids

orange

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noun or·ange \ ˈȯr-inj \

Definition of orange for Students

1 :a color between red and yellow :the color of a carrot

2 :a sweet juicy citrus fruit with orange colored rind that grows on an evergreen tree with shining leaves and fragrant white flowers

Medical Dictionary

orange

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noun or·ange \ ˈär-inj , ˈȯr- \

medical Definition of orange

1 a :a globose berry with a yellowish to reddish orange rind and a sweet edible pulp

b :any of various rather small evergreen trees (genus Citrus) with ovate leaves, hard yellow wood, fragrant white flowers, and fruits that are oranges

2 often capitalized :agent orange