cone: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B1Neutral; common in everyday, technical, and academic contexts.
Quick answer
What does “cone” mean?
A solid or hollow object that tapers from a circular or roughly circular base to a point.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A solid or hollow object that tapers from a circular or roughly circular base to a point.
Any object, shape, or structure resembling this geometric form; also, a conical container or a serving of ice cream in such a container; in botany, the reproductive structure of conifers.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. Both varieties use all primary senses. The traffic safety device is universally 'traffic cone' or 'cone'.
Connotations
Neutral in both. In informal UK contexts, 'cone' as a verb can humorously refer to the act of coning (placing a traffic cone on a statue, etc.).
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Grammar
How to Use “cone” in a Sentence
[verb] + cone: place/put/position a conecone + [noun]: cone shape/zone/filter[adjective] + cone: empty/waffle/paper coneVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cone” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The council will cone off the damaged section of road overnight.
- Protesters managed to cone the statue in the town square.
American English
- Crews are coning the highway exit for repaving.
- The police coned the area where evidence was found.
adverb
British English
- The rock was shaped conically.
- The hills rose conely from the plain (poetic/rare).
American English
- The trees were trimmed conically.
- The data points distributed conely around the mean (technical/rare).
adjective
British English
- The cone-shaped roof was a distinctive feature.
- We need a cone filter for the coffee machine.
American English
- The cone brake system is quite efficient.
- He has a collection of cone shells from the Pacific.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, except in specific industries like manufacturing ('cone crusher') or retail ('waffle cone sales').
Academic
Common in geometry, geology (cinder cone), botany, and optics (cone cells).
Everyday
Very common for ice cream, traffic management, and pine trees.
Technical
Precise use in engineering, mathematics, biology, and ophthalmology.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cone”
- Spelling confusion with 'coin'.
- Using 'cone' for a cylindrical object (e.g., a tube).
- Incorrect preposition: 'ice cream IN a cone' (less common) vs. 'ice cream ON a cone' (more common for the assembled item).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, though less commonly. It means to mark an area with traffic cones (e.g., 'They coned off the lane.') or, informally, to place a cone on something.
A cone has a circular (or elliptical) base that tapers to a point (apex). A pyramid has a polygonal base (e.g., square, triangle) and flat triangular sides meeting at an apex.
Yes. The most common natural references are 'pine cone' (the seed-producing structure of conifers) and 'volcanic cone' (the hill formed around a volcanic vent).
It is named for its distinctive conical shape, which is ideal for holding a scoop of ice cream and being eaten by hand. The original edible cones were literally rolled into a cone shape.
A solid or hollow object that tapers from a circular or roughly circular base to a point.
Cone is usually neutral; common in everyday, technical, and academic contexts. in register.
Cone: in British English it is pronounced /kəʊn/, and in American English it is pronounced /koʊn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “cone of silence (humorous/imaginative term for enforced secrecy)”
- “cone off (to mark an area with traffic cones)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine an ICE CREAM CONE. The word CONE is in the middle of 'ice cream cone.' Both the word and the treat have a pointy end!
Conceptual Metaphor
DIRECTION/ FOCUS IS A CONE (e.g., 'cone of attention', 'cone of fire').
Practice
Quiz
In which field would you most likely encounter the term 'retinal cone'?