pear-shaped
Americanadjective
-
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.
“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
"I was doing really well until 22 miles when I blew it. I lost my balance and it all went a bit pear-shaped," he says.
From BBC ● May 4, 2025
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
Set’s altar was made from an egg crate covered by a piece of an old bedspread, and the god himself was a rather pear-shaped figure of dried mud.
From "The Egypt Game" by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
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.
