Home British & World English fruit

Definition of fruit in English:

fruit

noun

  • 1The sweet and fleshy product of a tree or other plant that contains seed and can be eaten as food.

    ‘tropical fruits such as mangoes and papaya’
    mass noun ‘eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables’
    • ‘Begin to buy whole-grain products and fresh fruits and vegetables.’
    • ‘Because it contains high levels of salt, Josie should eat potassium-rich foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as drink lots of water.’
    • ‘You will be able to enjoy fresh vegetables, fruits, or sweets accompanied with a light soda or sparking water.’
    • ‘Eat high-fiber foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, brans and whole grains.’
    • ‘Libran foods and plants include many fruits - strawberry, peach, apple, autumn berries.’
    • ‘Your baby requires vitamin C for tissue growth, while your body needs it to absorb iron and other important nutrients, so increase your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.’
    • ‘If you plant the seed of a sweet fruit such as an orange, it will grow as an orange tree and produce oranges.’
    • ‘Unlike mangoes and other tropical fruits, a diverse community of fig trees provides food year - round.’
    • ‘Upon entering the room the sweetest smell of fresh fruits and warm pastries flooded their senses, followed by the smell of cooked bacon.’
    • ‘The abundance of pawpaw trees, whose fruit tastes like banana custard, amplifies the tropical effect.’
    • ‘Make a welcoming display in your hallway with bowls of fresh fruit, candles, sweets and wreaths.’
    • ‘The food eaten may be oysters, fresh fruit or vegetables, water, ice, or bakery products.’
    • ‘Historically this has been an area for producing table grapes (along with other tree fruits such as cherries).’
    • ‘Whole fresh fruits, dried fruits and packaged pre-cut vegetables are easy snacks to take with you.’
    • ‘China's food exports, often very competitively priced, include fresh and processed fruits, vegetables, seafood and meat.’
    • ‘The variety of edible products carried on rolling stores included soda pop, fresh fruits, and vegetables.’
    • ‘The Burmese enjoy spicy foods and they favor fruits over processed sweets.’
    • ‘As the lemurs digest the fleshy fruit, the seed is passed through their system, normally away from the parent tree.’
    • ‘Include lots of green leafy vegetables and sweet juicy fruits.’
    • ‘A meal is usually followed by fresh fruits or sweets.’
    1. 1.1Botany The seed-bearing structure of a plant, e.g. an acorn.
      • ‘Every 12 h during the period of prolonged darkness, samples of young leaves, flowers, roots and fruits from two plants were harvested for analysis.’
      • ‘A wide variety of organs from various plant species were analysed: roots, stems, hypocotyls, leaves, fruits, and petioles.’
      • ‘The proportion of flowers and ovules that develop into fruits and seeds in flowering plants rarely reaches 1.’
      • ‘Most of the major food crops of the world are highly sensitive to soil salinity; they show reduced growth rate and yield, and may have stunted fruits, leaves and stems.’
      • ‘Stained cells corresponding to immature xylem were detected in vascular bundles of flowers and fruits.’
    2. 1.2archaic, literary Natural produce that can be used for food.
      ‘we give thanks for the fruits of the earth’
      • ‘Most wineries have picnic benches or grassy areas with views of the vineyard and the best part is, you can buy a bottle of wine right there and enjoy the fruits of the field.’
      • ‘From the vineyards of France to the olive groves of Spain, hundreds of thousands of people will be toasting the fruits of the earth this autumn, and you can join them.’
      • ‘Isn't it wonderful that the fruit of the earth tastes good to us, nourishes us.’
      • ‘In man's natural state the earth and its fruits had belonged to no one and hence to all.’
    3. 1.3the fruits" or "the fruitThe result or reward of work or activity.
      ‘the pupils began to appreciate the fruits of their labours’
      • ‘Photography remained a private activity, the fruits of which were stored in over 150 albums - 14,500 pages of images.’
      • ‘It was their just reward last week to see the fruits of their labour come to fruition and be recognised.’
      • ‘The contest between capital and labour over the fruits of economically productive activity remains the front line struggle.’
      • ‘That means I am attached to the results, to the fruits.’
      • ‘Have you never experienced the fruits of my rewards?’
      • ‘It became evident in the select committee some weeks ago that there was an enormous risk that North Shore City would be denied the fruits of the results of the High Court decision.’
      • ‘By associating with IPRS, they enjoy the fruits of its activism.’
      • ‘Our right is only over our actions, not over the fruits of the actions.’
      • ‘Americans are still expecting to see the fruits of George W Bush's promised tax cuts trickle down over the next few years.’
      • ‘I got total pleasure from watching people's reaction as they enjoyed the fruits my labor.’
      • ‘My parents do all the work while I enjoy the fruits of their labor.’
      • ‘They need to get with the program and start enjoying the fruits of imperial labor.’
      • ‘Technique, as always, is crucial to reaping the fruits of your labors.’
      • ‘Exporters will reap the fruits of their labour.’
      reward, benefit, advantages
      View synonyms
    4. 1.4archaic Offspring.
      ‘I've brought along the fruit of my loins’
      ‘she couldn't bear not to see the fruit of her womb’
      • ‘Blessed are you and blessed are all the fruits of your womb.’
      • ‘Mary is blessed among women, and blessed is the fruit of her womb.’
      • ‘Your word assures me that you bless the fruit of my womb and that neither myself nor my husband shall be barren.’
      children, sons and daughters, progeny, family, youngsters, babies, brood
      View synonyms

  • 2North American informal, offensive A male homosexual.

verb

[with object]

  • (of a tree or other plant) produce fruit.

    ‘the trees fruit very early’
    • ‘In an annual such as Arabidopsis, flowering is irreversible, global, and leads to fruiting and plant death.’
    • ‘Linum began fruiting by late May, ending by early July.’
    • ‘‘Beth’ is a good, reliable cropper that starts fruiting freely at an early age, coming into season in September.’
    • ‘Planting strawberries in rows one plant wide will help sunlight penetrate the entire plant and increase fruiting.’
    • ‘A botanist from the University of Bradford has discovered a rare plant fruiting for the first time in more than 130 years.’
    • ‘I brought two pepper plants which were still fruiting into the house, and put the rest on the compost heap.’
    • ‘Plants can bear flowers and fruits at the same time, and die after fruiting.’
    • ‘Do no more pruning on a young tree than is absolutely needed or you will delay fruiting.’
    • ‘A standard apple tree usually takes two years to start fruiting and four years to reach full production.’
    • ‘The plants are looking sadder now, but still fruiting like mad.’
    • ‘In annual plants, which die after fruiting, there is no need to keep anything in reserve.’
    • ‘It was also time to deal with the strawberry plants, which have stopped fruiting.’
    • ‘If you're going to plant a holly, make sure you have space for not just one but two bushes in your garden; a male and female form must be planted as fruiting only occurs on female plants.’
    • ‘After this period, the mycelia need to be forced into fruiting, usually by placing the kit in the refrigerator.’
    • ‘My two plants at work produced another 3 ripe peppers between them last week and are flowering and fruiting again!’
    • ‘But then by this time last year the roses were still flowering, and the strawberries were still fruiting.’
    • ‘A deck presents a neighborly face to the street and offers a view of native plants and fruiting shrubs.’
    • ‘You can also grow several flowering and fruiting shrubs in sturdy, roomy tubs.’
    • ‘Flowering or fruiting shrubs can be pruned according to whether they flower in spring or summer.’
    • ‘The tree will fruit only in a subtropical or tropical climate where there is a distinct dry season.’
    produce fruit, bear fruit
    View synonyms

Phrases

    in fruit

    • (of a tree or plant) at the stage of producing fruit.

      ‘the cranberry is always attractive in fruit’
      • ‘The plants were in fruit on this date, and some showed signs of seed predation.’
      • ‘Seven plants were observed in fruit on the date of collection.’
      • ‘The tree is in fruit from October to April, which corresponds with the great greens' breeding season.’
      • ‘Opuntia humifusa, which we'd seen flowering in June, was in fruit, as was Lechea mucronata.’
      • ‘The secret to telling these two trees apart, when not in fruit, is to examine the leaves.’
      • ‘If you plant an apple tree or a lemon tree, you know it'll be in fruit at a certain time.’
    the fruit of the vine
    literary

    • Grapes.

      • ‘Today is turning out to be beautifully warm, and since I'm going to a party on a boat tonight, my thoughts naturally turn towards the fruit of the vine (specifically, white wine).’
      • ‘We know that by Islamic law they are barred from the fruit of the vine and juice of the barley, all properly aged.’
      • ‘His only son was also no stranger to the fruit of the vine, and didn't he make wine the symbol of his blood, ensuring hundreds of millions of Catholics would know its taste long before they turned the legal drinking age?’
      • ‘The French wines promotion was held March 13 in the Foodland car-park on Pattaya Central Road with hundreds of wine enthusiasts both Thai and foreign arriving to taste the fruit of the vine.’
      • ‘So, with a great amount of respect, I'll let those like Connie and Rex do what they do best, while I promise to stick to doing what I do best - appreciating the fruit of the vine.’
      • ‘Here, you can spend long, lazy days sampling the fruit of the vine, lolling over long lunches outside, playing golf, cycling or touring the historic sites and museums.’
      • ‘I can't drink, but I know God blesses other people through the fruit of the vine…’
      • ‘It takes a certain amount of difficulty to bring out the best in the fruit of the vine.’
      • ‘We can bottle the fruit of the vine and distribute it among those whom we like to see at our table.’
      • ‘When he returns to establish the kingdom of God, those who have faithfully followed his commandments will be invited to drink of the fruit of the vine with him.’

Origin

Middle English from Old French, from Latin fructus ‘enjoyment of produce, harvest’, from frui ‘enjoy’, related to fruges ‘fruits of the earth’, plural (and most common form) of frux, frug- ‘fruit’.

Pronunciation

fruit

/fruːt/