hourglass

[ ouuhr-glas, -glahs, ou-er- ]

/ ˈaʊərˌglæs, -ˌglɑs, ˈaʊ ər- /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for hourglass on Thesaurus.com

noun

an instrument for measuring time, consisting of two bulbs of glass joined by a narrow passage through which a quantity of sand or mercury runs in just an hour.

adjective

having a notably slim or narrow waist, midsection, or joining segment: She has an hourglass figure.

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE 12 TYPES OF VERB TENSES!

Loosen up your grammar muscles because it’s time to test your knowledge on verb tenses!

Question 1 of 6

The verb tenses can be split into which 3 primary categories?

action, linking, and helping

dynamic, static, and auxiliary

past, present, and future

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Meet Grammar Coach

Write or paste your essay, email, or story into Grammar Coach and get grammar help

Improve Your Writing

Meet Grammar Coach

Improve Your Writing

Origin of hourglass

First recorded in 1505–15; hour + glass

Words nearby hourglass

Houphouet-Boigny, houppelande, hour, hour angle, hour circle, hourglass, hourglass contraction, hourglass murmur, hourglass stomach, hour hand, houri

How to use hourglass in a sentence

More sidecut—which gives a ski that hourglass shape—allows a pair to penetrate deeper in its tracks and shortens the turn radius, heightening those sweet, sweet G’s.
An Ode to Skinny Skis|Dan Schwartz|March 5, 2021|Outside Online
In the team’s laser, light bounces between mirrors positioned at either end of an hourglass-shaped cavity before exiting the device.
A new laser-based random number generator is the fastest of its kind|Maria Temming|February 25, 2021|Science News
But there are two aspects that raise Hourglass above mere Ulysses imitation.
Danilo Kis, the Stylish Historian of Infamy|Anthony Paletta|June 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One of these collaborations includes a lilac hourglass-shaped Tadashi gown in which Spencer collected her very first Golden Globe.
Octavia Spencer: Nominated for ‘The Help’ and Star of the Red Carpet|Justine Harman|February 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST

There were bold minidresses with molded bodices that exaggerated an hourglass figure.
Paris’s Fashion Finale|Robin Givhan|October 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sometimes his leather jackets were sporty and rakish, at others they were sculpted into prim, hourglass shapes.
Paris Fashion Week Frenzy: Let’s Focus on Clothes|Robin Givhan|March 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The catillus (E) itself was shaped something like an hourglass, or two funnels joined at the neck.
The Private Life of the Romans|Harold Whetstone Johnston
At the sound the bearded old man raises his sceptre, opens his mouth, and turns an hourglass.
Christopher and the Clockmakers|Sara Ware Bassett
The sands did not then run so swiftly through the hourglass; if the voyage to England was long, why, so was life!
Audrey|Mary Johnston
One and all worshiped somewhat languidly, with frequent glances at the hourglass upon the pulpit.
Audrey|Mary Johnston
Sometimes it will be nearly globular, again long and thin, or it may be constricted like an hourglass.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for hourglass

hourglass

/ (ˈaʊəˌɡlɑːs) /

noun

a device consisting of two transparent chambers linked by a narrow channel, containing a quantity of sand that takes a specified time to trickle to one chamber from the other

(modifier) well-proportioned with a small waistan hourglass figure

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hourglass

noun

adjective

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON THE 12 TYPES OF VERB TENSES!

Meet Grammar Coach

Meet Grammar Coach

Origin of hourglass

Words nearby hourglass

Words related to hourglass

How to use hourglass in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hourglass

noun