orange

orange — noun

IPA/ˈɒrɪndʒ/
KK[ˈɔrəndʒ]IPA/ˈɔːrɪndʒ/
  • orangesingular
  • orangesplural

1. a sweet fruit from the citrus family, usually round, with thick skin and juicy s

1.nounA1
Definition

a sweet fruit from the citrus family, usually round, with thick skin and juicy sections inside, or the tree it grows on

Example

Mia peeled an orange before the train left Taipei Station.

peel an orange

An orange rolled under the table during the school picnic.

Common collocations
  • peel an orange
  • orange tree
  • fresh oranges
  • orange skin
  • orange juice
Synonyms
  • citrus fruit

    a broader category word; an orange is one kind of citrus fruit

  • mandarin

    usually smaller, softer, and easier to peel than a typical orange

  • tangerine

    a more specific sweet orange-colored type of mandarin

Grammar Patterns

peel an orange

eat an orange

orange tree

Usage Note

Usually this sense means the fruit. If you need to make the plant clear, speakers often say orange tree rather than just orange.

Common Mistakes

I drank an orange with breakfast.
I drank orange juice with breakfast.
orange is the fruit; use orange juice for the drink.

2. the warm color named after the fruit, seen in shades after red and before yellow

2.nounA2
Definition

the warm color named after the fruit, seen in shades after red and before yellow

Example

The art teacher mixed red and yellow to make a warm orange.

make orange from red and yellow

Emma's sunset poster was covered in bright orange.

in bright orange

Common collocations
  • bright orange
  • dark orange
  • shade of orange
  • in orange
Synonyms
  • amber

    often a deeper or more yellow-brown shade

  • tangerine

    often a brighter and more vivid shade name

  • coral

    usually a pinker shade than orange

Grammar Patterns

in orange

a bright orange

choose orange for

Usage Note

Distinguish from adjective/1: this sense names the color itself, often after in or after verbs like choose. Before a noun, English usually uses adjective/1, as in an orange scarf.

Common Mistakes

My shirt is in orange.
My shirt is orange.
After be, English usually uses the adjective, not the noun phrase in orange.

orange — adjective

IPA/ˈɒr.ɪndʒ/
KK[ˈɔrəndʒ]IPA/ˈɔːr.ɪndʒ/

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, orange is the normal everyday word for the common round citrus fruit with sweet juice. Mandarin is usually smaller, softer, and easier to peel, so it sounds more specific. Tangerine is a type of mandarin and often suggests a deeper color and a sweeter taste. Grapefruit is much larger and usually has a sharper, more bitter taste, so learners should not use it in the same way. If you want the safe general word for fruit bowls, snacks, or juice, orange is usually best. You can say Mia peeled an orange on the train, but not Mia peeled a grapefruit when the fruit was small, sweet, and easy to separate.

orange ↗mandarin ↗tangerine ↗grapefruit ↗

Etymology

SanskritPersianArabicOld FrenchEnglish

Orange came into English through French. Earlier forms go back through Arabic and Persian to Sanskrit naranga, the old name of the fruit. In English, the first n disappeared over time because people heard phrases like a norange as an orange. The color word was later named after the fruit.

First known use

1532

1532, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Adjective (1)