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Meaning & use

pining

verb·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈpaɪnɪŋ/
US/ˈpaɪnɪŋ/

“pining” is a form of “pine”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. verbintransitiveliterary

    Feeling a deep, sad longing for someone or something you cannot have or see.

    Grammar: No object; takes for: pining for home.

    Patterns

    • pine for someone
    • pine for something
    • pine after someone

    She was pining for her old friends back in her hometown.

    The dog sat at the window, pining for its owner.

  2. verbintransitiveliteraryold-fashioned

    Becoming weak and unhappy because of sadness, especially after loss.

    Grammar: No object; often followed by away: pining away.

    Patterns

    • pine away

    The poem describes a lover pining away in a lonely tower.

    He was pining away without her letters.

Word forms

third person singularpines
past tensepined
past participlepined
-ing formpining

Common combinations

pining for home
He is pining for home after months abroad.
pining for someone
She was pining for her ex.
pining away
The character spends the novel pining away.
pining for the past
They are pining for the good old days.

Synonyms and how they differ

yearn
Is neutral and can be hopeful, while pine is sad and tied to something missing.
long
Is plainer and used with to or for, without the suffering tone of pine.
languish
Focuses on becoming weak or neglected, not the feeling of wanting.

Word family

pine verb
to long sadly

Commonly confused: pining or pine?

pining vs pine

Pine is also a type of evergreen tree, a different word with the same spelling.

Practice

After moving abroad, she kept ______ for her family and the food back home.

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