fruit

fruit1 [ frut ] noun ***

1. ) (plural fruit or fruits) count or uncount a type of food that grows on trees or plants. It tastes sweet and contains seeds or a PIT. Apples and oranges are fruit. Ripe fruit is ready to eat:

Peaches are my favorite fruit.

fresh/dried/canned fruit: Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables.

a piece of fruit (=one apple, orange, etc.): She always has a piece of fruit for dessert.

a ) count the part of a tree or plant that contains its seeds:

a shrub with white flowers and small red fruits

b ) only before noun made from fruit or relating to fruit:

a fruit tree

fruit juice/yogurt: Would you like water or fruit juice?

2. ) count OFFENSIVE an offensive word for a man who is gay

bear fruit

1. ) to have a successful result:

Our policies must be given time to bear fruit.

2. ) if a tree or plant bears fruit, it produces fruit

the fruit/fruits of something

the good results that you get from something such as hard work:

The book is the fruit of a collaboration between several groups.

the fruits of your labor: Retirement is a time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

the fruits of nature/the earth

all the things that are produced as part of nature, that people can eat or use

in fruit

if a tree or plant is in fruit, it has fruit growing on it

fruit

fruit 2 [ frut ] verb intransitive TECHNICAL

if a tree or plant fruits, it produces fruit