orange
1 Americannoun
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oranges
plural
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a globose, reddish-yellow, bitter or sweet, edible citrus fruit.
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any white-flowered, evergreen citrus trees of the genus Citrus, bearing this fruit, as C. aurantium bitter orange, Seville orange, or sour orange and C. sinensis sweet orange, cultivated in warm countries.
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any of several other citrus trees, as the trifoliate orange.
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any of several trees or fruits resembling an orange.
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a color between yellow and red in the spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 590 and 610 nanometers; reddish yellow.
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Art. a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of red and yellow pigments.
adjective
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of or relating to the orange.
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made or prepared with oranges or orangelike flavoring.
orange sherbet.
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of the color orange; reddish-yellow.
noun
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a member of a European princely family ruling in the United Kingdom from 1688 to 1694 and in the Netherlands since 1815.
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a river in the Republic of South Africa, flowing W from Lesotho to the Atlantic. 1,300 miles (2,095 km) long.
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a former small principality of W Europe: now in the SE part of France.
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a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.
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a city in NE New Jersey, near Newark.
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a town in SE France, near Avignon: Roman ruins.
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a city in SE Texas.
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a town in S Connecticut.
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Fort. Fort Orange.
noun
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any of several citrus trees, esp Citrus sinensis ( sweet orange ) and the Seville orange, cultivated in warm regions for their round edible fruit See also tangerine
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the fruit of any of these trees, having a yellowish-red bitter rind and segmented juicy flesh See also navel orange
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( as modifier )
orange peel
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the hard wood of any of these trees
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any of a group of colours, such as that of the skin of an orange, that lie between red and yellow in the visible spectrum in the approximate wavelength range 620–585 nanometres
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a dye or pigment producing these colours
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orange cloth or clothing
dressed in orange
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any of several trees or herbaceous plants that resemble the orange, such as mock orange
adjective
noun
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a princely family of Europe. Its possessions, originally centred in S France, passed in 1544 to the count of Nassau, who became William I of Orange and helped to found the United Provinces of the Netherlands. Since 1815 it has been the name of the reigning house of the Netherlands. It was the ruling house of Great Britain and Ireland under William III and Mary (1689–94) and under William III as sole monarch (1694–1702)
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(modifier) of or relating to the Orangemen
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(modifier) of or relating to the royal dynasty of Orange
noun
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a river in S Africa, rising in NE Lesotho and flowing generally west across the South African plateau to the Atlantic: the longest river in South Africa. Length: 2093 km (1300 miles)
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Ancient name: Arausio. a town in SE France: a small principality in the Middle Ages, the descendants of which formed the House of Orange. Pop: 27 989 (1999)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of orange
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English: the fruit or tree, Old French orenge, cognate with Spanish naranja, from Arabic nāranj, from Persian nārang, from Sanskrit nāraṅga
Explanation
An orange is a citrus tree that produces sweet-smelling white blossoms, and eventually, oranges. Orange, as in the bright color, comes from the name of the fruit and tends to be used for items we need to notice: like road construction signs and prison jumpsuits. Oranges grow in warm places like Florida, California, and Brazil, where they are harvested to be eaten and made into juice and other products. The color of the orange, in varying hues, is also orange, a warm, sunny shade that falls between red and yellow on the color spectrum. The first orange trees probably grew in India, and the word itself has its roots in the Sanskrit naranga-s, "orange tree."
Vocabulary lists containing orange
Non-Color Words to Use When Describing Color
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Orange
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Spelling Practice 2, Unit 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
At first, when their boat of some 60 passengers landed in April after 15 hours on the water, they were taken to a reception centre and given cake and orange juice.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
As she explained her rationale, Halem, who appeared in court in an orange jumpsuit, sat with his head bowed, eyes downcast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The Fuego volcano, located between the Escuintla, Chimaltenango, and Sacatepéquez regions, registered an increase in its activity on Monday, prompting Guatemalan authorities to declare an "orange alert" - the second highest emergency.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Recently, millions of Americans have faced orange skies and air-quality alerts.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2026
But there’s something about seeing it in person—the way the arches soar, how the reddish orange contrasts against the blue of the sky and the blue of the ocean— that amazes me.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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On the popular street of Orange Grove in San Fernando where crowds line up during Halloween, Uncle Eric was our honorary neighborhood watch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The agency said it provided more than 212,000 rides directly to and from SoFi Stadium and 15 parking and transit hubs in L.A. and Orange counties through an enhanced service.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
For nearly 40 years, the lawyer in West Orange, N.J., started his day with the creamy concoction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
In Orange County, an email landed in attorney Sabrina Rivera’s inbox in April, from a Colorado man panicked about the status of his immigration case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Staying in a garage when we owned our own house wasn’t ideal, but Orange Grove was close to my school and my mom’s work so it had its benefits.
From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah
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Whole fruits included apples, oranges, bananas, mangos, grapes, pears, melons, strawberries and peaches.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026
The grainy video of little Leo juggling oranges with his feet, which somehow found its way to a scout.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Every week or so, I stock up on a “bunch” of ripe bananas, stashing them alongside the apples and oranges in my fruit bowl, only to forget about their existence within a few short days.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
For older kids, ramp up fruit intake - particularly juicy fruit, such as watermelon and oranges.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
At lunch she hiked miles within the walled city, around curls and corners of tiny alleyways, up secretive staircases, along crowded thoroughfares smelling of oranges and rose water and damp, mopped stone.
From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.