pear
Americannoun
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the edible fruit, typically rounded but elongated and growing smaller toward the stem, of a tree, Pyrus communis, of the rose family.
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the tree itself.
noun
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a widely cultivated rosaceous tree, Pyrus communis, having white flowers and edible fruits
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the sweet gritty-textured juicy fruit of this tree, which has a globular base and tapers towards the apex
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the wood of this tree, used for making furniture
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informal to go wrong
the plan started to go pear-shaped
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pear
First recorded before 1000; Middle English pe(e)re, Old English peru, from Late Latin pira, feminine singular use of plural of Latin pirum (neuter) “pear”
Vocabulary lists containing pear
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
She has a piece with prickly pear cactus as well as datura in it, which is crazy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Coffee pecan torte, spiced pear sponge with miso caramel.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Fancy cocktail napkins are a big seller, as are specialty jellies in flavors like hot pepper and cinnamon pear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025
But behind closed curtains stands the humble pear — a pome fruit that enjoys its peak season during the autumnal months, despite being available year-round.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2025
“Easy,” said Fred, “concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and —” He stopped and looked suspiciously at her.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
Apples, carrots, cooked broccoli and pears contain 80% to 89% water, as do oranges, grapes and pineapple.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Bartlett green pears and heirloom tomatoes, $24 to $40.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
They are found in foods such as apples, pears, blueberries, blackberries, grapes, cocoa, and other common smoothie ingredients.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2026
It gives the EU greater market access for wine and spirits, high-end chocolates, luxury automobiles, machinery and relatively expensive fruits such as kiwis and pears, among other goods.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
In the greengrocery market, the stalls were overhung with date branches, cinnamon stalks, strings of dried orange peels, gunny-bags of pistachios, fresh pears, pomegranates, and boxes of honeycombs.
From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
