pineapple

American  

[pahy-nap-uhl] / ˈpaɪˌnæp əl /

noun

• pineapples
  plural

1. the edible, juicy, collective fruit of a tropical, bromeliaceous plant, Ananas comosus, that develops from a spike or head of flowers and is surmounted by a crown of leaves.

2. the plant itself, having a short stem and rigid, spiny-margined, recurved leaves.

3. Military Slang. a fragmentation hand grenade.

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pineapple British  

/ ˈpaɪnˌæpəl /

noun

1. a tropical American bromeliaceous plant, Ananas comosus, cultivated in the tropics for its large fleshy edible fruit

2. the fruit of this plant, consisting of an inflorescence clustered around a fleshy axis and surmounted by a tuft of leaves

3. slang military a hand grenade

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pineapples
  plural

Etymology

Origin of pineapple

1350–1400 for earlier sense; 1655–65 pineapple for def. 1; Middle English pinappel pine cone; see pine ¹, apple

Explanation

A pineapple is a sweet tropical fruit with a tough leathery skin and spiky leaves on top. Pineapple is excellent, whether eaten as a snack, in a sweet dessert, in savory dishes like fried rice, or even on pizza. The word pineapple was first used to mean "pine cone," and the fruit was given this name because of its (slight) resemblance to a large pine cone. Pineapples are more commonly called ananas in other parts of the world, from the Tupi nanas, or "excellent fruit." Images of pineapples are commonly used to represent hospitality.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pineapple pineapples

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the islands depended first on sugar plantations and then the pineapple industry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Grab a pineapple bun stuffed with ham and butter, a corned beef egg tart, a sourdough one, even pistachio.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

Apples, carrots, cooked broccoli and pears contain 80% to 89% water, as do oranges, grapes and pineapple.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

“Actually, while that bit is about my concerns about homophobia, I really love pineapple on pizza now and so it’s really just propaganda for pineapple on pizza,” he says, only half in jest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Because when the workers processed the pineapple, they discarded the cores in a huge pile behind the factory.

From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

On Reddit, folks recommend making a classic Hawaiian pizza with pineapples and bacon, along with combining goat’s cheese, honey, fresh figs and braesola in a pie.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2026

At each stop, passengers like Washington or others laden with sacks of coconuts or pineapples for the market get on and off.

From Barron's ● May 18, 2026

Bananas, mangoes, pineapples and off-season berries and vegetables are all exposed to higher input costs, Lempert added, and consumers could pay between 5% and 20% more by the fall, depending on produce origin.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 21, 2026

The trade pressure on Tokyo began soon after Takaichi’s November comment, when China quickly halted imports of Japanese seafood—sparking memories in Taipei of a 2021 ban on Taiwanese pineapples.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 15, 2026

Nim and Alex collected three green pineapples, a few mashed strawberries, and scattered pea pods.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

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