pineapple
Americannoun
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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.
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the plant itself, having a short stem and rigid, spiny-margined, recurved leaves.
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Military Slang. a fragmentation hand grenade.
noun
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a tropical American bromeliaceous plant, Ananas comosus, cultivated in the tropics for its large fleshy edible fruit
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the fruit of this plant, consisting of an inflorescence clustered around a fleshy axis and surmounted by a tuft of leaves
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slang military a hand grenade
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.
Vocabulary lists containing pineapple
Africa - Introductory
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South America - Middle School
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South America - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brayen is allergic to dairy, banana, pineapple, peas, green beans, wheat, egg, soya, nuts and peanuts, kiwi, root vegetables and pea protein.
From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026
My Domino’s order is a small pepperoni, pineapple, olives and sausage slice ... hand tossed, cheesed up, and then I will get a side of garlic knots and a side of buffalo wings with ranch.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026
You can even omit the pineapple juice and simply mix citrus juice with coconut cream.
From Salon • Jan. 18, 2026
The Deluxe Fresh Fruit Basket includes quite the assortment, from Royal Riviera pears to mangos, pineapple, kiwi, apples, baby bananas, and even an avocado.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
She chose a young, growing pineapple for the first page of her Surinam book—the most recognizable of all her plants.
From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman
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.
