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.
-
(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.
Over-the-top, camp and butch, with heavy makeup, big hair and large gestures, the season's most flamboyant, matron-like men put on their drawers to tread the boards and make everything go pear-shaped.
From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025
Westinghouse built the silver, pear-shaped device in 1937 and it became known as the “world’s first industrial atom smasher.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025
The heartbreak-ballad specialist set off engagement rumors in February 2022 after wearing a pear-shaped diamond ring during an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show.”
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 18, 2023
They are small, pear-shaped insects that come in a variety of colors, from green, red and yellow to black, brown and gray.
From Seattle Times • Jun. 30, 2023
“These are ballistic level-three glass-clad polycarbonate windows, and the bathroom walls are reinforced steel with armor plating. If things go pear-shaped, that’s where you hide.”
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
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.
