pine

1 of 2

noun

ˈpīn 

often attributive

1

: any of a genus (Pinus of the family Pinaceae, the pine family) of coniferous evergreen trees that have slender elongated needles and include some valuable timber trees and ornamentals

2

: the straight-grained white or yellow usually durable and resinous wood of a pine varying from extreme softness in the white pine to hardness in the longleaf pine

3

: any of various Australian coniferous trees (as of the genera Callitris or Araucaria)

4

: pineapple

5

: bench sense 1c

piney adjective

or less commonly piny

ˈpī-nē 

pine

2 of 2

verb

pined; pining

intransitive verb

1

: to lose vigor, health, or flesh (as through grief) : languish

2

: to yearn intensely and persistently especially for something unattainable

they still pined for their lost wealth

Synonyms

Verb

• ache (for)
• covet
• crave
• desiderate
• desire
• die (for)
• hanker (for or after)
• hunger (for)
• itch (for)
• jones (for) [slang]
• long (for)
• lust (for or after)
• pant (after)
• repine (for)
• salivate (for)
• sigh (for)
• thirst (for)
• want
• wish (for)
• yearn (for)
• yen (for)

Choose the Right Synonym for pine

long, yearn, hanker, pine, hunger, thirst mean to have a strong desire for something.

long implies a wishing with one's whole heart and often a striving to attain.

longed for some rest

yearn suggests an eager, restless, or painful longing.

yearned for a stage career

hanker suggests the uneasy promptings of unsatisfied appetite or desire.

always hankering for money

pine implies a languishing or a fruitless longing for what is impossible.

pined for a lost love

hunger and thirst imply an insistent or impatient craving or a compelling need.

hungered for a business of his own

thirsted for power

Examples of pine in a Sentence

Verb

pining for a house in the mountains

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the years that followed, groves of Torrey pine trees were incorporated into the park. —Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025

Bass Lake – Sierra National Forest, CA Why go: Less crowded than nearby Yosemite Valley, this lake is swimmable, boat-friendly and framed by pines. —Allison Palmer, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2025

Verb

The 34-mile road winds through several ecosystems from cove hardwood to northern hardwood to pine oak to spruce fir. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 18 May 2025

Parts read like a narrative, other parts sound like a letter to the husband, sometimes explanatory, sometimes apologetic, sometimes pining. —The Know, Denver Post, 18 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English pīn, from Latin pinus; probably akin to Greek pitys pine

Verb

Middle English, from Old English pīnian to suffer, from *pīn punishment, from Latin poena — more at pain entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pine

• Australian pine
• Austrian pine
• bristlecone pine
• eastern white pine
• ground pine
• hard pine
• heart pine
• jack pine
• Jeffrey pine
• Jersey pine
• knotty pine
• limber pine
• loblolly pine
• lodgepole pine
• longleaf pine
• long-leaved pine
• Monterey pine
• mugho pine
• Norfolk Island pine
• pine after
• pine away
• pine cone
• pine for
• pine kernel
• pine marten
• pine nut
• pine siskin
• pine snake
• pine tar
• pitch pine
• ponderosa pine
• red pine
• Scotch pine
• Scots pine
• screw pine
• scrub pine
• shortleaf pine
• slash pine
• spruce pine
• sugar pine
• Virginia pine
• white pine
• white-pine blister rust
• yellow pine

Rhymes for pine

• brine
• cline
• dine
• fein
• fine
• gwine
• hine
• jain
• klein
• kline
• line
• mine

Kids Definition

pine

1 of 2 verb

ˈpīn 

pined; pining

1

: to lose energy, health, or weight through grief, worry, or distress

pine away

2

: to long for very much

pine

2 of 2 noun

1

: any of a genus of evergreen trees that have narrow needles for leaves, cones, and wood ranging from very soft to hard and that include valuable timber trees as well as many ornamentals

2

: the white or yellow wood of a pine

piney adjective

also piny

ˈpī-nē

Medical Definition

pine

1 of 2 noun

ˈpīn 

: any tree of the genus Pinus

pine

2 of 2 noun

: a dietary deficiency disease of sheep or cattle marked by anemia, malnutrition, and general debility

specifically : such a disease due to cobalt deficiency compare morton mains disease