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• orange
  orange

  noun

  a globose, reddish-yellow, bitter or sweet, edible citrus fruit.
• Orange
  Orange

  noun

  a member of a European princely family ruling in the United Kingdom from 1688 to 1694 and in the Netherlands since 1815.

orange

¹ American  

[awr-inj, or-] / ˈɔr ɪndʒ, ˈɒr- /

noun

• oranges
  plural

1. 

   a globose, reddish-yellow, bitter or sweet, edible citrus fruit.

2. 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.

3. any of several other citrus trees, as the trifoliate orange.

4. any of several trees or fruits resembling an orange.

5. a color between yellow and red in the spectrum, an effect of light with a wavelength between 590 and 610 nanometers; reddish yellow.

6. Art. a secondary color that has been formed by the mixture of red and yellow pigments.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the orange.

2. made or prepared with oranges or orangelike flavoring.

   orange sherbet.

3. of the color orange; reddish-yellow.

Orange ² American  

[awr-inj, or-, aw-rahnzh] / ˈɔr ɪndʒ, ˈɒr-, ɔˈrɑ̃ʒ /

noun

1. a member of a European princely family ruling in the United Kingdom from 1688 to 1694 and in the Netherlands since 1815.

2. a river in the Republic of South Africa, flowing W from Lesotho to the Atlantic. 1,300 miles (2,095 km) long.

3. a former small principality of W Europe: now in the SE part of France.

4. a city in SW California, near Los Angeles.

5. a city in NE New Jersey, near Newark.

6. a town in SE France, near Avignon: Roman ruins.

7. a city in SE Texas.

8. a town in S Connecticut.

9. Fort. Fort Orange.

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orange ¹ British  

/ ˈɒrɪndʒ /

noun

1. 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

2. 1. the fruit of any of these trees, having a yellowish-red bitter rind and segmented juicy flesh See also navel orange

   2. ( as modifier )

      orange peel

3. the hard wood of any of these trees

4. 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

5. a dye or pigment producing these colours

6. orange cloth or clothing

   dressed in orange

7. any of several trees or herbaceous plants that resemble the orange, such as mock orange

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adjective

1. of the colour orange

Orange ² British  

/ ˈɒrɪndʒ /

noun

1. 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)

2. (modifier) of or relating to the Orangemen

3. (modifier) of or relating to the royal dynasty of Orange

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Orange ³ British  

noun

1. 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)

2. 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)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• oranges
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

orange Orange oranges

Behind a fence beyond the iconic orange 76 ball in the parking lot once sat a hidden garden.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

By the end, I was dragging pieces of focaccia through the last orange streaks left in the pan.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

It was odd enough that most people in the crowd were wearing fluorescent orange, but stranger still was this rarity: the sight of a group of diverse men full of hope.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

She previously covered China's consumer market for the Journal in Beijing and emerging markets and commodities for the Journal in New York, including distressed debt in Venezuela, Mozambique, and Argentina and frozen concentrated orange juice.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Black and white, orange beak, my size, more or less. Has wings— that’s important. And a marcher. Ooh, yes, very serious about his marching. I’m taking lessons!”

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Orange Lutheran had the ball on the one-yard line and tried to score on a quarterback sneak.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Re-Oak California has an eighth nursery planned for Irvine, its first outpost in Orange County.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Parts of Orange County, still a vast agricultural Eden, were drowned.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

On Thursday Portadown Orange District said on social media that the Parades Commission have appointed a surprise mediation facilitator.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Martin was an Orange, too, but he didn’t have the same abilities I did.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

In the early 2000s, when citrus-canker lesions dotted Florida oranges, state contractors fanned out with woodchippers to destroy trees.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

“The oranges are Riverland oranges from South Australia and add a fruity and slightly acidic flavor to the rich jus,” he says.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

Natural compounds in oranges, particularly hesperidin, a citrus flavonoid known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, seem to influence processes related to high blood pressure, cholesterol balance and the way the body handles sugar.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

"The one here - it's brighter," Dozier told the BBC, noting the fresh sweet navel oranges in his basket.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

As day drifted into night, the sky shucked its oranges and purples for black and blue.

From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby