pine

UK: /ˈpaɪn/ US: /paɪn/ ,(pīn)

Inflections of 'pine' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

pines

v 3rd person singular

pining

v pres p

pined

v past

pined

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pine¹ /paɪn/   n. 

1. Plant Biology an evergreen tree having needlelike leaves in bundles and woody cones:
   [countable] Many pines are valued for their wood.
2. Furniture [uncountable] the wood of a pine tree.

pine² /paɪn/   v., pined, pin•ing. 

1. to wish for or want deeply;
   long (for) painfully: [~ + for + object]
   to pine for one's family.
   [~ + to + verb]
   pining to become citizens in a free country.
2. to fail gradually in health or strength because of grief or longing:
   [no object* ~ + away] After his wife's death he pined away.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pine¹  (pīn), n. 

1. Plant Biology any evergreen, coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, having long, needle-shaped leaves, certain species of which yield timber, turpentine, tar, pitch, etc. Cf. pine family. 
2. Plant Biology any of various similar coniferous trees.
3. Furniture the wood of the pine tree.
4. Informal Terms the pineapple.

• Latin pīnus
• bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English pīn

pine′like′, adj. 

pine²  (pīn), v., pined, pin•ing, n. 
v.i. 

1. to yearn deeply;
   suffer with longing;
   long painfully (often fol. by for):
   to pine for one's home and family.
2. to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often fol. by away):
   Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.
3. [Archaic.] to be discontented;
   fret.

v.t. 

4. [Archaic.] to suffer grief or regret over.

n. 

5. [Archaic.] painful longing.

• Late Latin pēna, Latin poena punishment. See pain
• bef. 900; Middle English pinen to torture, torment, inflict pain, be in pain; Old English pīnian to torture, derivative of pīn torture (Middle English pine)

Synonyms

• 1. See yearn. 
• 2. dwindle, decline, languish, droop, waste.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

pine / paɪn/ noun

1. any evergreen resinous coniferous tree of the genus Pinus, of the N hemisphere, with long needle-shaped leaves and brown cones: family Pinaceae
   See also pitch pine, Scots pine
2. the wood of any of these trees
3. 
   short for pineapple

Etymology: Old English pīn, from Latin pīnus pine

pine / paɪn/ verb

1. (intr; often followed by for or an infinitive) to feel great longing or desire; yearn
2. (intransitive) often followed by away: to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc

Etymology: Old English pīnian to torture, from pīn pain, from Medieval Latin pēna, from Latin poena pain

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Pine / paɪn/ noun

1. Courtney. born 1964, British jazz saxophonist and clarinettist