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
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.
Speaking to reporters backstage, De Pear said it was "the commissioners at the BBC who had the problem engaging with the material, not the doctors who lost their families or the viewers".
From BBC • May 10, 2026
She declined to disclose how many people paid to watch “The Golden Pear Affair.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026
"Sadly, the reality on the ground is that Cambodia's top tourism hotspots are safe -- but the headlines have done damage already," said Hannah Pearson, director of Southeast Asia tourism consultancy Pear Anderson.
From Barron's • Dec. 24, 2025
The collaboration duo is available for a limited time and includes a bottle of Plum Shiso and Pear Verbena.
From Salon • Dec. 17, 2024
Sometimes he complained a little of his sons if they came not every day and he said to Pear Blossom, who was always near him, “Well, and what are they so busy about?”
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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.
