pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌna-pəl 

1

a

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the bromeliad family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

b

: the large edible multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the sweet succulent fleshy inflorescence

2

: a hand grenade

Examples of pineapple in a Sentence

a can of chopped pineapple

Recent Examples on the Web

The company even grows a portion of the pineapples used in their recipes on their own 115-acre organic farm in Costa Rica. —Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025

The restaurant’s specialty is a Hawaiian-style pizza topped with controversial pineapple. —Andrea Beck, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Nov. 2025

Canned beans, tomatoes, pumpkin, tuna, and pineapple are all packed with key vitamins and minerals and can be used in a variety of dishes. —Team Verywell Health, Verywell Health, 25 Nov. 2025

The theory is more Americans may need something more than sweet potato pie (try it with pineapples, marshmallows and a little brown sugar on top) to get through a night that some find dry as overcooked turkey or difficult due to the stress brought on by relatives people love from a distance. —Jason Gewirtz, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing pineapple

• pineapple guava
• pineapple sage

Rhymes for pineapple

• appal
• apple
• chapel
• dapple
• grapple

Kids Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

: a tropical plant with stiff spiny sword-shaped leaves and a short flowering stalk that develops into an edible fruit with usually pale yellow sweet juicy flesh and very thick skin

also : this fruit

Etymology

Middle English pinappel "the cone of a pine"; so called because the fruit looks like the cone from a pine tree

Medical Definition

pineapple

noun

pine·​ap·​ple ˈpī-ˌnap-əl 

1

: a tropical monocotyledonous plant (Ananas comosus of the family Bromeliaceae, the pineapple family) that has rigid spiny-margined recurved leaves and a short stalk with a dense oblong head of small abortive flowers

2

: the multiple fruit of the pineapple that consists of the succulent fleshy inflorescence and whose juice is the source of the proteolytic enzyme bromelain