pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌna-pəl 

1

a

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the bromeliad family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

b

: the large edible multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the sweet succulent fleshy inflorescence

2

: a hand grenade

Examples of pineapple in a Sentence

a can of chopped pineapple

Recent Examples on the Web

Remove the skin from the mango and dice the mango, pineapple, and onion and place all in a medium-size bowl. —Bethany Thayer, Freep.com, 5 July 2025

My grandmother would make a marinade out of soy sauce, pineapple juice, and garlic for chunks of pork. —Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 July 2025

The earthy flavor of the matcha is paired with almond bitters, lime for tartness and pineapple juice for a tropical note. —Aly Walansky, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Apples, bananas, blueberries, kiwis and pineapples are some fruits suitable for a cat to eat, according to PetMD. —Rachael O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pineapple

• pineapple guava
• pineapple sage

Rhymes for pineapple

• appal
• apple
• chapel
• dapple
• grapple

Kids Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

: a tropical plant with stiff spiny sword-shaped leaves and a short flowering stalk that develops into an edible fruit with usually pale yellow sweet juicy flesh and very thick skin

also : this fruit

Etymology

Middle English pinappel "the cone of a pine"; so called because the fruit looks like the cone from a pine tree

Medical Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

1

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the pineapple family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

2

: the multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the succulent fleshy inflorescence and whose juice is the source of the proteolytic enzyme bromelain