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.
“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
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
But that was where it all went pear-shaped, because Mr Plaud had made a fundamental error.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2024
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.
