Bare Fruit – Meaning, Origin & Usage

There’s a good chance that you’ve heard the phrase ‘bare fruit’ before, but the actual meaning usually rarely has anything to do with actual fruit…

If you’re not one hundred percent sure what the phrase, an idiom, means, then you’ve come to the perfect place. In this article you will learn what the phrase means, how it originated, a gist of how and when you can use the phrase, and some suggestions for alternative words and phrases that you can use in its place.

And without further ado, let’s get straight down to the nitty-gritty.

What is the meaning of the phrase ‘bare fruit’?

When someone uses the phrase ;bear fruit’ when they are not talking about the growing of fruit, what they are referring to is the time when a project or endeavour is ready to yield results.

There are a great many projects and tasks that take time to yield the results that  are intended, so the phrase ‘bear fruit’ can be used in a metaphorical way to refer to the moment when this time comes to pass.

When this time has already come to pass, you can describe the project or endeavour as having ‘borne fruit’ provided that it was successful.

What is the origin of the phrase ‘bare fruit’?

The origin of the phrase ‘bare fruit’ is a literal one, having been used to refer to a time when fruit becomes ripe and ready to use or eat. The phrase is believed by some to have derived from the early 16th century.

That said, however, some English translations of the Christian bible  also reference the bearing of fruit, such as John 15:5, where Jesus says: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” In this context, the phrase ‘bears much fruit’ refers to the results of spiritual growth and opening one’s heart for others.

Since then,, the meaning of the phrase ‘bare fruit’ has expanded to mean ‘come into fruition’, so that it can refer to projects or endeavours in a more metaphorical sense. In this metaphor, the fruit represents the result or output of an endeavour or process, which first requires an input, before the results can take shape. In the literal sense, the input would be planting the seed and taking care of the plant.

How and when to use the phrase ‘bare fruit’?

The phrase ‘bear fruit’ can be used in a wide variety of contexts, and is suitable for both informal and formal conversations or correspondence. 

Here follows several examples of how the phrase can be used in different contexts.

• I can’t wait until this project starts to bear fruit.
• Can you really see this project bearing any tangible fruit?
• The polls will be back on our side by the time the project has borne fruit.
• Don’t worry, it won’t be long now until all the marketing effort starts to bear fruit.
• These discounts are sure to bear fruit soon, we’ll see a big difference in profits.
• I don’t know if your wooing efforts are going to bear fruit. I don’t think she’s interested.
• It’s about time this project bore fruit.

What are some other ways of saying  ‘bare fruit’?

If you ever find yourself speaking with someone who tends to take things literally, you may prefer to use an alternative, non-idiomatic  phrase instead. And if so, you are in luck because there are several alternative words and phrases that you can use in its place.

Here follows a few examples for you to consider:

• I can’t wait to see this project come to fruition.
• I can’t wait to see this project come to blossom.
• Can you really see this project bearing any tangible results?
• The polls will be back on our side by the time the project has come to fruition.
• Don’t worry, it won’t be long now until all the marketing effort starts to show results.
• I don’t know if your wooing efforts are going to work, I don’t think she’s interested.
• It’s about time this project started showing results.

Final word

So, to sum up, the phrase ‘bare fruit’ refers to the time when a project or endeavour is ready to yield results. The meaning of the phrase can be either literal or figurative or metaphorical.

The phrase is a particularly old one, that possibly dates as far back as the early English translations of the Christian bible.

You can use the phrase ‘bare fruit’ in a wide variety of contexts, and is suitable for both informal and formal conversations or correspondence, in both personal and professional contexts. A typical alternative phrase that you can use in its place is ‘come to fruition’.