to yearn deeply; suffer with longing; long painfully (often followed byfor ).
to pine for one's home and family.
to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief, regret, or longing (often followed byaway ).
Separated by their families, the lovers pined away.
Archaic. to be discontented; fret.
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 longleaf pine nut pine pitch pine Scots pine
any other tree or shrub of the family Pinaceae
the wood of any of these trees
any of various similar but unrelated plants, such as ground pine and screw pine
(intr; often foll by for or an infinitive) to feel great longing or desire; yearn
to become ill, feeble, or thin through worry, longing, etc
archaic (tr) to mourn or grieve for
See yearn.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English pin(e), pigne, Old English pīntrēow “pine tree,” from Old French pin and Latin pīnus
First recorded before 900; Middle English pinen “to torture, torment, inflict pain, be in pain”; Old English pīnian “to torture,” derivative of pīn “torture” ( Middle English pine ), from Late Latin pēna, Latin poena “punishment”; see pain
If you pine for someone, you desperately want to see them, be with them, or perhaps smother them with kisses. If you're texting your ex-boyfriend over 50 times a day, there's a pretty good chance that you still pine for him. In Old English, pine meant "to torture or cause to experience pain," which seems quite fitting if you've known what it's like to pine for something or someone. The verb pine should not be confused with the noun pine, as in the evergreen tree. If you are from the Northeast and find yourself living in the Caribbean, you may pine for the sight of a pine tree, but the lovely weather should ease the pain.
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The vineyards, which are mainly located to the east of Bordeaux, were largely spared by the fire, which is mainly burning through pine forests.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
"The flames were higher than full-size forest pine trees, so five or six storeys high, and it was clear this was a fire that was out of control at that point."
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Skies over Le Porge turned orange as smoke rose from charred and crackling pine trees, while helicopters made repeated runs over deserted neighbourhoods.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Boreal forests are also supposed to burn on an infrequent basis, in order to open up certain pine cones and spread their seeds, or to clear out lower tree branches.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
I wrapped one leg around a skinny scrub pine in front of me.
From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles
The rugged area where Shields’ body was found is accessible via a 20-mile hike with 5,000 feet of elevation and several river crossings along the Pine Ridge Trail, according to AllTrails.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Cheap land and cheap power put data centers in the high water-stress areas,” says Matthew Pine, chief executive of U.S. water-technology giant Xylem, which supplies utilities across the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Every state says that,” said Andy Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, which runs the Pine Tree State Poll.
From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026
The still working exception has saved Bazer hundreds of thousands of dollars of RMDs over the years, and tens of thousands of dollar in taxes, says Natalie Pine, his financial advisor.
From Barron's ● Jun. 13, 2026
A few miles out of Lone Pine we started looking for another stand of trees, some tall elms, and what remains of those gnarled pear orchards.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
"We're dealing with a very dense stand of closely packed pines," firefighter Captain Wilfried Schneider told AFP, describing a fire of "rare" intensity.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Any justice who pines for the spotlight can give as many interviews and speak at as many law schools as he or she likes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
From the pontoon, she pointed out the marshy shore and sea of pines at stake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
The fire also passed through a grove of critically endangered Torrey pines, which I had hiked up to and gazed down on the island’s crystal blue water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
He and Elwood carried Akira and her father up into a tall canopy of Ponderosa pines, where bearclover and white alder grew among granite boulders.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
And during their down years, Knicks die-hards pined for LeBron James or Kevin Durant to ride in to the rescue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
And you can expect more such details to surface as we finally get the Succession epilogue its fans have pined for, with a Tom Wambsgans type in charge.
From Slate ● Feb. 4, 2026
She worshiped the Dresden Room’s residents Marty and Elayne, and pined for a similar classy intimacy at shows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 1, 2024
Yet, there is one thing that Manilow has always pined for and now inspires some irrational fears: a Broadway show.
From New York Times ● Nov. 7, 2023
Or maybe we are stupid in the exact same way as every other idiot mortal who’s pined away for another bite of goblin fruit.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Instead, young women are pining for throwback, off-road SUVs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The lack of a son’s POV makes Boy Mom pining both performative and disturbingly real.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
Investors have been pining to own SpaceX for years.
From Barron's ● May 24, 2026
Their plight at the hugely unpopular and vast former athletics track is well documented, with fans pining for Upton Park's intimidating atmosphere.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2026
The boys were ready, were proud to be able to help out the U.S. of A. and whatnot, although the chubby girlfriends and mothers admitted they’d be pining for their men.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
