pine cone

American  

noun

• pine cones
  plural

1. the cone or strobile of a pine tree.

---

pine cone British  

noun

1. the seed-producing structure of a pine tree See cone

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pine cones
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pine cone

First recorded in 1685–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pine cone

“I just knew him as the guy I met when he was 13 and I threw the pine cone at his chest.”

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023

The pine cone print adds fun to an oftentimes painful endeavor.

From New York Times ● Jun. 19, 2023

Later, the Forest Service stopped publicizing the tree’s location to protect it from those wishing to take a pine cone or other souvenir from the ancient tree.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2022

Technically a thistle, an artichoke looks like a pine cone, prickly, jagged, and ready to ward off predators.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2022

Then he tried a blade of grass, a pine cone chip; there was no way to throw something—anything— into that water and not catch a trout.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols