# fig

/ˈfɪɡ/ (US) · /fˈɪɡ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fig
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. the fruit

noun · CEFR B2

a soft, sweet fruit that is shaped like a pear and full of tiny seeds.

For teachers: the edible, pear-shaped fruit of the Ficus carica, characterized by a thin skin and numerous small seeds.

- She served fresh figs with honey and goat cheese for dessert.
- The Mediterranean climate is ideal for cultivating figs, which are often dried to preserve their high sugar content for winter consumption.

### 2. something worthless

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal · Literary

something of very little value; usually used to say you do not care at all.

For teachers: a thing of negligible value; almost exclusively used in the negative idiom 'not to care/give a fig' to express total indifference.

- He said he didn't give a fig what the neighbors thought of his bright pink house.
- Despite the mounting public criticism, the minister appeared not to give a fig for the opinions of the press gallery.

Usage: Almost always appears in the phrase 'not give a fig'.

### 3. abbreviation for figure

noun · CEFR B2 · Academic · Technical

a short way to write the word 'figure', often used for pictures in books.

For teachers: a standard abbreviation for 'figure', typically referring to a numbered illustration, diagram, or chart in a text.

- Please look at Fig. 1 to see the map of the area.
- As demonstrated in Fig. 4.2, the correlation between the two variables remains significant even after adjusting for age.

Usage: Usually capitalized as 'Fig.' and followed by a number.

### 4. to dress up

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · British English · Archaic

to dress yourself in a specific way, especially in smart clothes.

For teachers: to dress or array oneself; most commonly found in the phrasal construction 'to fig out' or 'to fig up'.

- He was all figged out in his best suit for the wedding.
- The children were grandly figged out for the portrait, though they looked distinctly uncomfortable in their stiff lace collars.

Usage: Usually used as 'figged out' or 'figged up'.

## Examples

- She ate a fresh fig for breakfast.
- The baker used dried figs and walnuts to add texture and sweetness to the sourdough bread.
- While fresh figs are highly perishable and best consumed immediately after harvest, their dried counterparts offer a concentrated sweetness that has been a staple of Mediterranean diets for millennia.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.