pine

noun, often attributive

\ ˈpīn

Definition of pine

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

pine

verb

pined; pining

Definition of pine (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from pine Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Phrases Containing pine Learn More About pine

Choose the Right Synonym for pine

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Crews have started harvesting logs of pine and hardwood trees, department spokesman Tim R. Phelps said. — From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 26 May 2022 The cabins at Whispering Pines are spread across 13 acres of pine and oak timber abutting the national forest. — Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 24 May 2022 Set over the town of Pinzolo in the Rendena Valley amid the pine and fir tree forests that blanket the lower slopes of the Dolomites, Lefay Dolomiti is a wood, stone and glass-clad sanctuary of luxury, relaxation and recuperation. — Duncan Madden, Forbes, 19 May 2022 The Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory Tree Ring Laboratory is about an hour’s drive north of New York City, in a forest dense with oak, pine, hickory, and maple. — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 6 May 2022 There are also abundant seedlings of pine and birch, some poking just a few inches out of the ground. — New York Times, 5 May 2022 This ecosystem — with trees like spruce, pine, and fir — make up about one-third of all forests on the planet. — Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 27 Apr. 2022 This reserve overlooking the Golan Heights is full of oak and pine trees. — Washington Post, 22 Apr. 2022 At higher and cooler elevations, take a lunch break under cedar, fir and pine trees. — Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Sometimes just one hop variety is used in a beer, but more often several are working together—a chorus of little green cones in your pint glass, offering the sipper hints of anything from grass to pine to mango to tangerine. — Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 7 Oct. 2020 But liberals also pine for the postwar U.S., specifically its foreign relations. — Dexter Fergie, The New Republic, 24 Mar. 2022 Speculation demands ambition—the ability not only to sketch out the depths of human depravity, but also to pine for its redemption. — ELLE, 1 Apr. 2022 The hotel is built around the garden, making this hotel one of the few places where guests pine for a suite facing away from the city. — Kristen Shirley, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2021 Even as many executives pine for such confabs, the business around them is changing — irrevocably. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 25 Jan. 2022 In any case, the returns on being a sitting Democrat in Congress seem poised to diminish in a hurry; those who stay on may soon pine for screaming matches over what bills to pass. — Washington Post, 12 Nov. 2021 And yet, after careers spent climbing the corporate ladder, many C.E.O.s can’t help but pine for the office, too. — New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021 Swaths of warm orange and yellow are punched with earthy neutrals and pine green, reaching a fine equilibrium between downtown buzz and uptown quietude. — Paul Jebara, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for pine

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

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Dictionary Entries Near pine

pindy

pine

pine after

Statistics for pine

Last Updated

28 May 2022

Cite this Entry

“Pine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pine. Accessed 28 May. 2022.

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More Definitions for pine

pine

noun

\ ˈpīn

Kids Definition of pine

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an evergreen tree that has cones, narrow needles for leaves, and a wood that ranges from very soft to hard

pine

verb

pined; pining

Kids Definition of pine (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : to become thin and weak because of sadness or worry

2 : to long for very much She pined for home.

pine

noun

\ ˈpīn

Medical Definition of pine

(Entry 1 of 2)

: any tree of the genus Pinus

pine

noun

Medical Definition of pine (Entry 2 of 2)

: 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