pear-shaped
Americanadjective
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having the shape of a pear; tapering near the top and bulging toward the base or bottom.
a pear-shaped vase.
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(of a vocal tone) clear, resonant, and without harshness; full-bodied.
Etymology
Origin of pear-shaped
First recorded in 1750–60
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.
Who gets paid first if things go pear-shaped?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
His character Boswell Hyde—a “self-possessed pear-shaped young man in his rumpled seersuckers and his jaunty bow tie”—bears a close resemblance to Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., the Harvard professor and adviser to John F. Kennedy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
The Scottish FA will come under heavy fire for committing to another four years of Clarke if things go pear-shaped in America.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
“It’ll go this way, get a little pear-shaped, then it’ll come back this way,” Lauper says of the show, which is based on Mike Nichols’ 1988 movie about a secretary navigating the male-dominated business world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2025
Someone with an eager, pear-shaped head and a green bun sat writing at a table.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
