prickly pear

American  

noun

• prickly pears
  plural

1. any of numerous cacti of the genus Opuntia, having flattened, usually spiny stem joints, yellow, orange, or reddish flowers, and ovoid, often edible fruit.

2. the usually prickly fruit of such a cactus.

---

prickly pear British  

noun

1. any of various tropical cacti of the genus Opuntia, having flattened or cylindrical spiny joints and oval fruit that is edible in some species See also cholla nopal

2. the fruit of any of these plants

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prickly pears
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of prickly pear

First recorded in 1605–15

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prickly pear

On Camino Escalante, Guthrie’s squat, orange brick house is set back from the road behind a lawn planted with prickly pear, agave, cholla and yucca.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Orchard Hills’ zone is filled with prickly pear cacti, Japanese honeysuckle and Formosa firethorn.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025

The bug lives and feeds on the prickly pear cactus, a plant that originated in the Americas but has spread all over the world—and colonized the Mediterranean countryside—taking D. opuntiae along for the ride.

From Science Magazine ● Mar. 12, 2024

Begay Sr. uses a walking stick to wind past pockets of yellow flowers, heavily trafficked anthills and the occasional prickly pear.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 30, 2023

None of the flowers seem quite right, so I decide on a small potted prickly pear cactus.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---