melon

noun

mel·​on ˈme-lən 

plural melons

often attributive

1

: any of various typically sweet gourds (such as a muskmelon or watermelon) usually eaten raw as fruits

2

: something rounded like a melon: such as

a

: a rounded organ in the front of the head of some cetaceans and all toothed whales that is composed of lipids and waxy material and is thought to be utilized in echolocation

b

: a person's head

A great afternoon at the park usually meant coming home with blisters on our hands, a bump or two on the melon and the obligatory skinned knee.

—Robb Moretti

3

a

: a surplus of profits available for distribution to stockholders

b

: a financial windfall

Examples of melon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Elsewhere, gawp at Patty Chang greedily gobbling a melon standing in for her breast in her seminal 1998 video Melons (At a Loss) and the bloodthirsty mermaids swimming through Jen Liu’s 2023 video The Land at the Bottom of the Sea. —Lisa Wong MacAbasco, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2025

Other melons and food products, such as cantaloupe, pumpkin, and cucumber, may also contain L-citrulline. —Kirstyn Hill, Pharmd, Mph, Health, 19 Mar. 2025

Some plants, such as members of the cucumber family (which includes melons, zucchini, and squash) and root veggies are sensitive to root disturbance. —Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Feb. 2025

The last of the fruit to harvest is the melons in late July. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin melon-, melo, short for Latin melopepon-, melopepo, from Greek mēlopepōn, from mēlon apple + pepōn, an edible gourd — more at pumpkin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing melon

• honeydew melon
• melon baller
• winter melon

Rhymes for melon

• felon
• snellen
• tellin
• endothelin
• gibberellin
• watermelon
• muskmelon

Kids Definition

melon

noun

mel·​on ˈmel-ən 

: any of various fruits (as a cantaloupe, honeydew melon, or watermelon) of the gourd family that have juicy and usually sweet flesh eaten raw and a firm rind