cone

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a solid generated by rotating a right triangle about one of its legs

called also right circular cone

b
: a solid bounded by a circular or other closed plane base and the surface formed by line segments joining every point of the boundary of the base to a common vertex see Volume Formulas Table
c
: a surface traced by a moving straight line passing through a fixed vertex
2
a
: a mass of ovule-bearing or pollen-bearing scales or bracts in most conifers or in cycads that are arranged usually on a somewhat elongated axis
b
: any of several flower or fruit clusters suggesting a cone
3
: something that resembles a cone in shape: such as
a
: any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision compare rod sense 3
b
: any of a family (Conidae) of tropical marine gastropod mollusks that inject their prey with a potent toxin
c
: the apex of a volcano
d
: a crisp usually cone-shaped wafer for holding ice cream

Illustration of cone

Illustration of cone
  • 1 Sitka spruce
  • 2 Japanese cedar
  • 3 giant sequoia
  • 4 white spruce
  • 5 redwood
  • 6 lodgepole pine
  • 7 Douglas fir
  • 8 bald cypress
  • 9 jack pine

cone

2 of 2

verb

coned; coning

transitive verb

1
: to make cone-shaped
2
: to bevel like the slanting surface of a cone
cone a tire

Examples of cone in a Sentence

Noun He scooped out the popcorn with a paper cone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In the 1970s, the family would get giant ice cream cones every Saturday at Isaly’s in New Kensington. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024 To maximize retention, according to Dale's cone of experience, learners need to apply theory in practice. Sergei Vardomatski, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Speakers today Traditional speakers function by running a current through a coil, creating a magnetic field that moves a magnet attached to the speaker cone, which in turn displaces air to create a sound wave. IEEE Spectrum, 11 Feb. 2024 Only the female plants produce cones for use as hops (the male plants are the pollinators). Barb Sands, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2024 Xist helps shut down one of the two X’s in each female cell by coating the chromosome in a way that looks a bit like a cloud of cotton candy spooled around a cone at a county fair. Jonathan Wosen Reprints, STAT, 1 Feb. 2024 Grab a steaming chowder in a bread bowl from Boston Chowder Co., or an ice cream cone at Quincy's Place. Maya Kachroo-Levine, Travel + Leisure, 12 Feb. 2024 Recently, the National Hurricane Center announced an experimental cone with enhanced messaging. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 The Sixth Street block was closed off with police cars and orange cones, allowing vehicles to funnel through only one way. Hanh Truong, Sacramento Bee, 6 Feb. 2024
Verb
The most popular include miso caramel, a chocolate hard shell, gluten-free brownie bites and waffle cones that taste like churros, made with cinnamon and sunflower butter. Christina Morales, New York Times, 10 July 2023 Ice cream cones or cups run between $2 and $3.75 at Dairy Kastle, while waffle cones run $2.75 to $3.50. The Courier-Journal, 22 Feb. 2023 For years, the bridge district had allowed the annual marathon to cone off two of the northbound lanes to accommodate the popular run. Matier & Ross, SFChronicle.com, 1 July 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cone.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, "cone in geometry," borrowed from Latin cōnus, borrowed from Greek kônos "pine cone, cone in geometry," probably of pre-Greek substratal origin

Verb

derivative of cone entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1562, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cone was in 1562

Dictionary Entries Near cone

Cite this Entry

“Cone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cone. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cone

noun
ˈkōn
1
: a mass of overlapping woody scales that especially in the pines and other conifers are arranged on a structure like a stem and produce seeds between them
also : any of several flower or fruit clusters resembling such cones
2
a
: a solid figure formed by rotating a right triangle about one of its legs

called also right circular cone

b
: a solid figure that slopes evenly to a point from a usually circular base
3
: something shaped like a cone: as
a
: any of the cells of the retina that are sensitive to light and function in color vision
b
: the tip of a volcano

Medical Definition

cone

noun
1
: a solid having a circular base and sides that slope evenly to a point
2
a
: any of the conical photosensitive receptor cells of the vertebrate retina that function in color vision compare rod
b
: any of a family (Conidae) of numerous somewhat conical tropical gastropod mollusks that include a few highly poisonous forms see conus
3
: a cusp of a tooth especially in the upper jaw

More from Merriam-Webster on cone

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