Pinocchio

American

[pi-noh-kee-oh] / pɪˈnoʊ kiˌoʊ /

noun

the hero of Carlo Collodi's children's story, The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883), a wooden puppet who comes to life as a boy and whose nose grows longer whenever he tells a lie.

Etymology

Origin of Pinocchio

< Italian: literally, pine seed, pine cone, equivalent to pin ( o ) pine ¹ + -occhio < Vulgar Latin *-uc ( u ) lu ( m ), Latin -i-culum; see -i-, -cule ¹

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.

Genetic and anatomical studies now show that the reptile long referred to as the Pinocchio chameleon is not the species scientists thought it was.

From Science Daily • Dec. 13, 2025

Back in 2023, Pinocchio from Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning film led the walkaround.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2025

In the 27-second clip, recurring characters Shrek, Donkey, Pinocchio and Princess Fiona appear alongside Felicia - one of Shrek and Fiona's now grown-up children.

From BBC • Feb. 28, 2025

The lavish folk tale draws from the song "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the 1940 cartoon film "Pinocchio," about a puppet wishing to become a real boy.

From Reuters • Nov. 20, 2023

Most people don’t know this, but Pinocchio kills the cricket right in the beginning of the story.

From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023