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

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

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

I wanted a little nod to Hawaii with the pineapple because that’s where we also get salted plum culture.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

If the goal is a flavanol friendly smoothie, try combining berries with low PPO ingredients such as mango, pineapple, orange, or yogurt.

From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026

Then there’s the team from Italy, where ice hockey is about as popular as pineapple on pizza.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 12, 2026

Her stomach growled, the two bites of pineapple bun long forgotten, but maybe she could talk to Rishi before she made dinner.

From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn

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

They also exempted goods that can’t be made in size in the U.S., such as beef, pineapples, coffee, certain minerals, and aircraft parts.

From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 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

Some mutant individuals developed fruit without even having to be pollinated, resulting in our seedless bananas, grapes, oranges, and pineapples.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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