fruitnoun
uk/fruːt/us/fruːt/fruit noun (PLANT PART)
A1 [ C or U ] the soft part containing seeds that is produced by a plant. Many types of fruit are sweet and can be eaten:
Apricots are the one fruit I don't like.
Oranges, apples, pears, and bananas are all types of fruit.
Would you like some fruit for dessert?
The cherry tree in our garden is in fruit (= it has fruit growing on it).
I like exotic fruit, like mangoes and papayas.
How many pieces of fresh fruit do you eat in a day?
fruit trees
He runs a fruit and vegetable stall in the market.
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vegetable
[ C ] specialized biology the part of any plant that holds the seeds
More examples
- Your fruit and vegetables will be weighed at the checkout.
- Vitamin C is found in oranges and other citrus fruit.
- The pear tree they planted has never borne fruit .
- Bananas and other soft fruits bruise easily.
- Soak the fruit in brandy for a few hours before you add it to the mixture.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Fruits & seeds & their parts
- acorn
- chaff
- coffee bean
- endosperm
- fruiterer
- grain
- kernel
- mielie
- nut
- pine cone
- pine nut
- pit
- pith
- seeded
- seeded
- sesame seed
- stalk
- thistledown
- windfall
- zest
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fruit noun (RESULT)
the fruit/fruits of sth
C2 the pleasant or successful result of work or actions:
This book is the fruit of 15 years' research.
It's been hard work, but now the business is running smoothly you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labours.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Outcomes and consequences
- -ment
- aftereffect
- aftermath
- bang
- be a monument to sth idiom
- bed
- bite
- effect
- first fruit
- function
- impact
- knock-on effect
- monument
- more bang for your buck(s) idiom
- sequel
- spillover
- spin-off
- the bitter fruits of sth idiom
- the upshot
- trickle-down
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fruit noun (PERSON)
[ C ] slang a gay man. Many people consider this word offensive.
Idiom(s)
fruits of the earth
fruitverb [ I ]
uk/fruːt/us/fruːt/specializedWhen a plant fruits, it produces fruit:
Over the last few years, our apple trees have been fruiting much earlier than usual.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Plant reproduction
- anther
- asexual reproduction
- barren
- bear
- cross-pollination
- endosperm
- germinate
- micropyle
- pollen
- pollinate
- propagate
- self-pollination
- sporangium
- spore
- stamen
- stigma
- wind pollination