pine for

phrasal verb

pined for; pining for; pines for
: to feel very sad because one wants (something) or because one is not with (someone)
She was pining for the old days.
He's pining for his college sweetheart.

Examples of pine for in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Most major celebrities or pop artists will tell you their lives are spent in a glass cage, and yearn for mundanity as much as some pine for fame. Jaeden Pinder, Pitchfork, 3 Oct. 2025 Democrats have been pining for action to extend health care subsidies that are set to expire by year’s end, with Republicans adamant that their stopgap spending bill is a take-it-or-leave-it offer. Al Weaver, The Hill, 29 Sep. 2025 Yet with a move to the Pac-12 looming next year, some CSU fans talk about pining for a football version of Niko Medved in their new league. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 24 Sep. 2025 Even Rose steps out, sleeping with a graduate student, partly because Tom won’t stop pining for Vivien, his inaccessible ghost. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pine for

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Cite this Entry

“Pine for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pine%20for. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.

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