rind

noun

ˈrīnd 

dialectal

ˈrīn 

1

: the bark of a tree

2

: a usually hard or tough outer layer : peel, crust

rinded

ˈrīn-dəd 

adjective

Examples of rind in a Sentence

the rind of a watermelon

the rind of a cheese

Recent Examples on the Web

Grown-ups bring a ladder to climb into the enormous fruit, kids gather up their inflatable toys, someone makes a waterslide out of a piece of rind, and the whole community spends the day splashing in the juice and pulp (being careful to remove the seeds first). —Literary Hub, 1 June 2026

Parmesan producers have begun embedding salt-grain-sized, edible microchips into the rinds of their cheese to fight counterfeiting, unique IDs that will also combat redistribution through theft. —Olivia Potts, Longreads, 28 May 2026

Look for melons with tan skin and pronounced fragrance; if the rind is too green, the flavor likely hasn’t fully developed yet. —Joanna Sciarrino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 May 2026

For several weeks lately something has been gnawing at the rinds of the lemons on the outer branches of our lemon tree. —Joan Morris, Mercury News, 25 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German rinda bark, and probably to Old English rendan to rend

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing rind

• pork rind

Rhymes for rind

• bind
• blind
• dined
• find
• fined
• grind
• hind
• kind
• lined
• mind
• mined
• pined

Kids Definition

rind

noun

ˈrīnd 

: the bark of a tree

also : a usually hard or tough outer layer (as the skin of a fruit)