Meaning & use
a cone
Last updated
Meanings
phrasecountable
One cone: a solid or hollow shape that is round at one end and narrows to a point at the other.
Grammar: Use 'a cone' for one object; use 'cones' for more than one.
Patterns
- a cone of something
- a cone shape
- a traffic cone
The child held a cone of ice cream in one hand.
A cone has a circular base and a pointed top.
There was a cone in the middle of the road.
phrasecountable
One cone-shaped holder for ice cream, or one ice cream served in it.
Grammar: Often used when ordering food: 'a cone, please.'
Patterns
- a cone of ice cream
- buy a cone
- eat a cone
She bought a cone at the beach.
He dropped his cone on the ground.
Word forms
| plural | cones |
|---|
Common combinations
- a cone of ice cream
- The shop sells a cone of ice cream for two dollars.
- a traffic cone
- Workers put a traffic cone near the hole.
- a cone shape
- The hat has a cone shape.
- a pine cone
- We found a pine cone under the tree.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cone
- The base noun without the article; use 'cone' when you are talking about the shape in general, and 'a cone' when you mean one example.
Word family
- conical adjective
- Shaped like a cone.
- conically adverb
- In a cone-shaped way.
Commonly confused: a cone or con?
a cone vs con
Con is a different word meaning 'against' or 'trick'; it sounds similar but is not related to cone.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'a cone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A cone of ice cream' is the natural pattern. 'A cone ice cream' is missing 'of', 'an ice cream' is wrong because 'ice' begins with a vowel sound and needs 'an', and 'cone of ice cream' needs the article 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a cone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.