Phrase guide

when life gives you lemons, make lemonade

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

proverb

Meaning 1

You should always make the best out of difficult situations.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: aԥсҭазаара алимонқәа анауҭо, алимонад ҟаҵа (apstazaara alimonkwa anawto, alimonad qʼacʼa) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Arabic: اِصْنَعْ شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ (iṣnaʕ šarāban ḥallū min ḥāmiḍ laymūn al-ḥayāti) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Arabic: اِصْنَعِي شَرَابًا حَلُّوا مِنْ حَامِض لَيْمُون الْحَيَاةِ (iṣnaʕī šarāban ḥallū min ḥāmiḍ laymūn al-ḥayāti) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Bulgarian: всяко зло за добро (vsjako zlo za dobro) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Chinese Mandarin: 轉禍為福 /转祸为福 (zhuǎnhuòwéifú) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Finnish: vastoinkäymiset pitää kääntää voitoksi — make the best out of difficult situations
  • French: quand la vie vous donne des citrons, faites de la citronnade — make the best out of difficult situations
  • French: à la guerre comme à la guerre — make the best out of difficult situations
  • German: wenn das Leben dir eine Zitrone gibt, mach Limonade draus — make the best out of difficult situations
  • German: wenn dir das Leben eine Zitrone gibt, mach Limonade draus — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Hindi: जब भी जीवन में मुश्किलें आएँ तो उनका भी लाभ उठाएँ (jab bhī jīvan mẽ muśkilẽ āẽ to unkā bhī lābh uṭhāẽ) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Italian: quando la vita ti dà limoni, prepara una limonata — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Italian: se la vita ti offre limoni, fai una limonata — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Japanese: 禍転じて福と為す (wazawai tenjite fuku to nasu) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Japanese: 災い転じて福となす (wazawai tenjite fuku to nasu) — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Nigerian Pidgin: when life dey show you pepper, use am make pepper soup — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Polish: gdy życie daje ci cytryny, zrób z nich lemoniadę — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Portuguese: se a vida lhe der um limão, faça dele uma caipirinha — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Portuguese: se a vida lhe der um limão, faça dele uma limonada — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Spanish: al mal tiempo, buena cara — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Spanish: si la vida te da limones, haz limonada — make the best out of difficult situations
  • Urdu: جب زندگی دیتا ہے، تو آپ لیمن نیبوڈ بناتے ہیں — make the best out of difficult situations