cone

1 of 2

noun

ˈkōn 

1

a

: a solid generated by rotating a right triangle about one of its legs

called also right circular cone

b

: a solid bounded by a circular or other closed plane base and the surface formed by line segments joining every point of the boundary of the base to a common vertex see Volume Formulas Table

c

: a surface traced by a moving straight line passing through a fixed vertex

2

a

: a mass of ovule-bearing or pollen-bearing scales or bracts in most conifers or in cycads that are arranged usually on a somewhat elongated axis

b

: any of several flower or fruit clusters suggesting a cone

3

: something that resembles a cone in shape: such as

a

: any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision compare rod sense 3

b

: any of a family (Conidae) of tropical marine gastropod mollusks that inject their prey with a potent toxin

c

: the apex of a volcano

d

: a crisp usually cone-shaped wafer for holding ice cream

Illustration of cone

• 1 Sitka spruce
• 2 Japanese cedar
• 3 giant sequoia
• 4 white spruce
• 5 redwood
• 6 lodgepole pine
• 7 Douglas fir
• 8 bald cypress
• 9 jack pine

cone

2 of 2

verb

coned; coning

transitive verb

1

: to make cone-shaped

2

: to bevel like the slanting surface of a cone

cone a tire

Examples of cone in a Sentence

Noun

He scooped out the popcorn with a paper cone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

There are other options at the stand that are gluten-free as well, including Dole Whip floats and regular soft-serve cups cups (not cones). — Teagan Davidge, Oc Register, 25 July 2026

Several Hawaiian islands, including Maui, Molokai, Oahu and Kauai, have been included in the forecast cone graphics from the National Hurricane Center for Category 2 Hurricane Fausto. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 25 July 2026

Some neighbors strategically placed cones to ensure school buses can still pass through and make tight turns, though drivers sometimes move them. — Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026

These tiny cones are lined with rich chocolate and piped full of creamy chocolate ice cream. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "cone in geometry," borrowed from Latin cōnus, borrowed from Greek kônos "pine cone, cone in geometry," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

Verb

derivative of cone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cone

• cinder cone
• cone-like
• cone off
• growth cone
• ice-cream cone
• nose cone
• pine cone
• right circular cone
• shatter cone
• sno-cone
• snow cone
• traffic cone

Rhymes for cone

• blown
• clone
• crone
• drone
• flown
• groan
• grown
• hone
• joan
• jone
• known
• loan

Kids Definition

cone

noun

ˈkōn

1

: a mass of overlapping woody scales that especially in the pines and other conifers are arranged on a structure like a stem and produce seeds between them

also : any of several flower or fruit clusters resembling such cones

2

a

: a solid figure formed by rotating a right triangle about one of its legs

called also right circular cone

b

: a solid figure that slopes evenly to a point from a usually circular base

3

: something shaped like a cone: as

a

: any of the cells of the retina that are sensitive to light and function in color vision

b

: the tip of a volcano

c

: ice-cream cone

Medical Definition

cone

noun

ˈkōn 

1

: a solid having a circular base and sides that slope evenly to a point

2

a

: any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision compare rod

b

: any of a family (Conidae) of numerous somewhat conical tropical gastropod mollusks that include a few highly poisonous forms see conus

3

: a cusp of a tooth especially in the upper jaw