fruit
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.
Oxford Essential Dictionary
fruit
noun
pronunciation
The word fruit sounds like boot.
The part of a plant or tree that holds the seeds. Oranges and apples are types of fruit.
grammar
Be careful! We do not usually say 'a fruit'. We say 'a piece of fruit' or 'some fruit ': Would you like a piece of fruit? • 'Would you like some fruit?' 'Yes please – I'll have a pear.'
word building
There are many different types of fruit. Here are some of them: apple, banana, date, lemon, mango, strawberry. Do you know any others?
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
fruit
I. fruit1 S2 W3 /fruːt/ BrE AmE noun (plural fruit or fruits)
[Word Family: noun: ↑fruit, ↑fruition, ↑fruiterer; adjective: ↑fruitful ≠ ↑fruitless, ↑fruity; verb: ↑fruit; adverb: ↑fruitfully ≠ ↑fruitlessly]
[Date: 1100-1200; Language: Old French; Origin: Latin fructus, from frui 'to enjoy, have the use of']
1. [uncountable and countable] something that grows on a plant, tree, or bush, can be eaten as a food, contains seeds or a stone, and is usually sweet:
Try to eat plenty of fresh fruit.
fruit and vegetables
a glass of fruit juice
a large garden with fruit trees ⇨ ↑dried fruit, ↑soft fruit
GRAMMAR
Fruit is usually uncountable:
▪ Fruit is inexpensive here. It is used as a countable noun mainly to refer to one or more types of fruit:
▪ oranges and other citrus fruits
2. [uncountable and countable] technical the part of a plant, bush, or tree that contains the seeds
3. the fruit(s) of something the good results that you have from something, after you have worked very hard:
I’m looking forward to retirement and having time to enjoy the fruits of my labour (=the results of my hard work).
4. in fruit technical trees, plants etc that are in fruit are producing their fruit
5. the fruits of the earth literary all the natural things that the earth produces, such as fruit, vegetables, or minerals
⇨ bear fruit at ↑bear1(9)
II. fruit2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive] technical
[Word Family: noun: ↑fruit, ↑fruition, ↑fruiterer; adjective: ↑fruitful ≠ ↑fruitless, ↑fruity; verb: ↑fruit; adverb: ↑fruitfully ≠ ↑fruitlessly]
if a tree or a plant fruits, it produces fruit
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fruit
fruit [fruit fruits fruited fruiting] noun, verb [fruːt] [fruːt]
noun
1. countable, uncountable the part of a plant that consists of one or more seeds and flesh, can be eaten as food and usually tastes sweet
• tropical fruits, such as bananas and pineapples
• Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• a piece of fruit (= an apple, an orange, etc.)
• fruit juice
• fruit trees
compare vegetable
see also dried fruit, first fruit, soft fruit
2. countable (technical) a part of a plant or tree that is formed after the flowers have died and in which seeds develop
3. countable, usually plural (literary) all the natural things that the earth produces
4. countable (offensive) an offensive word for a homosexual man
more at bear fruit at bear v., forbidden fruit at forbidden
Word 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’.
Example Bank:
• Finish the meal with a piece of fresh fruit.
• He was now reaping the fruits of all his hard work.
• The crab apple bears a small, bitter fruit.
• Their work left them enough time to enjoy the fruits of their success.
• citrus fruits such as limes and lemons
• five daily portions of fruit and vegetables
• the first fruits of the government's health campaign
Idiom: fruit of something
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary
fruit / fruːt / 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.
→ Compare vegetable
See picture fruit 1
See picture fruit 2
[ C ] specialized the part of any plant that holds the seeds
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary
fruit
[fru͟ːt]
fruits, fruiting, fruited
(The plural form is usually fruit, but can also be fruits.)
1) N-VAR Fruit or a fruit is something which grows on a tree or bush and which contains seeds or a stone covered by a substance that you can eat.
Fresh fruit and vegetables provide fibre and vitamins.
...bananas and other tropical fruits...
Try to eat at least one piece of fruit a day.
2) VERB If a plant fruits, it produces fruit.
The scientists will study the variety of trees and observe which are fruiting.
3) N-COUNT: usu the N of n The fruits or the fruit of someone's work or activity are the good things that result from it.
The team have really worked hard and Mansell is enjoying the fruits of that labour...
The findings are the fruit of more than three years research.
4) → See also dried fruit, forbidden fruit, kiwi fruit, passion fruit
5) PHRASE: V inflects If the effort that you put into something or a particular way of doing something bears fruit, it is successful and produces good results.
Eleanor's work among the women will, I trust, bear fruit...
He was naturally disappointed when the talks failed to bear fruit.
6) PHRASE: oft PHR of n The first fruits or the first fruit of a project or activity are its earliest results or profits.
This project is one of the first fruits of commercial co-operation between the two countries.
Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary
1fruit /ˈfruːt/ noun, pl fruits
1 a : a usually sweet food (such as a blueberry, orange, or apple) that grows on a tree or bush
[count]
• apples, oranges, and other fruits
[noncount]
• a bowl/piece of fruit
- often used before another noun
• fruit salad [=a mixture of fruits cut into small pieces]
• fruit juice
• a fruit tree [=a tree that bears fruit]
- see color picture
- see also forbidden fruit
b [count] technical : the part of a plant that has the seeds in it (such as the pod of a pea, a nut, a grain, or a berry)
2 [count] : a result or reward that comes from some action or activity - usually plural
• They're finally able to enjoy the fruits of their labors.
• We hope that we'll be able to share in the fruits of victory.
3 [count] : something that exists naturally in the world and is useful to people - usually plural
• We need to remember that the fruits of the earth belong to us all.
bear fruit
- see 2bear
the fruit of someone's loins
- see loin
