Pines

The verb 'pines' describes a state of longing or yearning intensely for something or someone. It often signifies a feeling of unhappiness or weakness due to separation or the absence of something desired. This longing can be for a person, a place, an object, or a particular experience. The intensity of pining suggests a deep emotional connection and a significant impact of the absence on the individual. It implies a sustained, often melancholic, state of missing whatever is desired. The feeling is generally associated with sadness or a loss of vitality, demonstrating a preoccupation with the object of desire.

Pines meaning with examples

• After moving across the country, Sarah pines for her friends and family back home, constantly checking social media and calling them regularly. The distance makes her feel isolated, highlighting how deeply she misses their companionship and shared experiences.
• The shipwrecked sailor pines for his lost island home, gazing at the vast ocean, dreaming of the green landscape and familiar faces. The memory of the island is all that sustains him during his lonely struggle for survival, he hopes for the dream to come again.
• As a young man separated from his true love, the knight pines for her, often composing poems and songs dedicated to her beauty, and to her promised return after the completion of his duty to his people, he prays every night.
• Lost in the wilderness, the stranded hiker pines for the comforts of civilization: a warm bed, a hot meal, and the simple security of a roof over his head. The bare reality is a constant torture and he can feel the effect in every cell.