rotten fruit

Meaning

This phrase refers to fruit that has decayed, decomposed, or spoiled, making it soft, smelly, and completely unfit for eating. It is used literally when cleaning out the fridge or garden, but can also be used metaphorically to describe something ruined or bad. It carries a strong negative connotation of decay and unpleasantness.

Examples

• The smell of rotten fruit from the kitchen bin filled the whole house.

  The smell of rotten fruit from the kitchen bin filled the whole house.

• Make sure to throw out any rotten fruit before it attracts fruit flies.

  Make sure to throw out any rotten fruit before it attracts fruit flies.

• There was a pile of rotten fruit under the apple tree in the backyard.

  There was a pile of rotten fruit under the apple tree in the backyard.

• I accidentally bit into a piece of rotten fruit and immediately spat it out.

  I accidentally bit into a piece of rotten fruit and immediately spat it out.

• The grocery store got a bad review for selling rotten fruit to customers.

  The grocery store got a bad review for selling rotten fruit to customers.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Don't eat those apples; they are rotted fruits.

  ✓ Don't eat those apples; they are rotten fruit.

  'Rotten' is the standard adjective used before nouns. 'Fruit' is typically uncountable when referring to fruit in general, so we say 'rotten fruit' rather than 'rotten fruits'.

• ✗ The banana is bad, it is a decayed fruit.

  ✓ The banana is bad, it is rotten fruit.

  While 'decayed' is scientifically correct, native English speakers almost exclusively use 'rotten' in everyday conversation to describe spoiled produce.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The kitchen smelled terrible because of some ___ left in the pantry.

  💡 Decayed or spoiled fruit.

  Show answer

  rotten fruit

• We need to sort through these peaches and throw away any ___.

  💡 Soft, smelly, spoiled fruit.

  Show answer

  rotten fruit