What does grape mean?
A grape is the small, usually sweet or tart fruit of a grapevine. Grapes may be purple, green, red, or black, and they are eaten fresh, pressed into juice, dried into raisins, or fermented to make wine and other alcoholic drinks. The word is standard in everyday British and American English and carries no special connotation beyond its ordinary reference to the fruit. In phrases such as a bunch of grapes, grape harvest, and grape juice, it is used both for the individual fruit and, collectively, for the crop or product of the grapevine. A grape is also a familiar example in discussions of food, agriculture, winemaking, and plant biology. Botanically, it is classified as a berry because it develops from a single flower and contains seeds within a fleshy fruit wall. The word also forms familiar compounds including grapevine, grapefruit, and grape sugar.
nounA grape is the small, typically round, sweet or tart fruit of a grapevine, usually purple, green, red, or black, and eaten fresh or used to make wine, juice, and other products.
- A grape is the small, usually round fruit of a grapevine, commonly purple, green, red, or black, and eaten fresh or processed into wine, juice, or dried fruit.
"She poured a cool glass of freshly squeezed grape juice for breakfast."
"The children ate grapes from a bowl while they watched the film."
"This vineyard produces some of the finest grapes used for red wine."
The standard plural is grapes. A single fruit is a grape, and a cluster is a bunch of grapes.
"The market sells baskets of freshly picked grapes every summer."
Botanically, a grape is a true berry, making one of the most familiar fruits a surprising example of the botanical meaning of that word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does grape come from?
The English word grape came through Old French from Medieval Latin grāpa. The ultimate origin of the Latin word is uncertain, and several proposed connections have been suggested without definitive agreement. English later formed compounds such as grapevine and grapefruit from this inherited base.
Related word forms
How grape is actually used
The word is neutral in register and standard in both British and American English. When referring to several fruits growing together, speakers normally use a bunch of grapes rather than a grape.
Easily confused with grape
A grape is a small fruit from a grapevine, while a grapefruit is a large citrus fruit whose rind is typically yellow or pink.