pyramid

American  

[pir-uh-mid] / ˈpɪr ə mɪd /

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. (in ancient Egypt) a quadrilateral masonry mass having smooth, steeply sloping sides meeting at an apex, used as a tomb.

   2. (in ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian Central America) a quadrilateral masonry mass, stepped and sharply sloping, used as a tomb or a platform for a temple.

2. anything of such form.

3. a number of persons or things arranged or heaped up in this manner.

   a pyramid of acrobats; a pyramid of boxes.

4. a system or structure resembling a pyramid, as in hierarchical form.

5. Geometry. a solid having a polygonal base, and triangular sides that meet in a point.

6. Crystallography. any form the planes of which intersect all three of the axes.

7. Anatomy, Zoology. any of various parts or structures of pyramidal form.

8. pyramid scheme.

9. a tree pruned or trained to grow in conical form.

10. (used with a singular verb) pyramids, a form of pocket billiards for two or four players in which 15 colored balls, initially placed in the form of a triangle, are pocketed with one white cue ball.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to take, or become disposed in, the form of a pyramid.

2. Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to enlarge one's operations in a series of transactions, as on a continued rise or decline in price, by using profits in transactions not yet closed, and consequently not yet in hand, as margin for additional buying or selling in the next transaction.

3. to increase gradually, as with the completion of each phase.

   Our problems are beginning to pyramid.

verb (used with object)

1. to arrange in the form of a pyramid.

2. to raise or increase (costs, wages, etc.) by adding amounts gradually.

3. to cause to increase at a steady and progressive rate.

   New overseas markets have pyramided the company's profits.

4. Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to operate in, or employ in, pyramiding.

pyramid British  

/ ˈpɪrəmɪd, pɪˈræmɪdəl /

noun

1. a huge masonry construction that has a square base and, as in the case of the ancient Egyptian royal tombs, four sloping triangular sides

2. an object, formation, or structure resembling such a construction

3. maths a solid having a polygonal base and triangular sides that meet in a common vertex

4. crystallog a crystal form in which three planes intersect all three axes of the crystal

5. anatomy any pointed or cone-shaped bodily structure or part

6. finance a group of enterprises containing a series of holding companies structured so that the top holding company controls the entire group with a relatively small proportion of the total capital invested

7. the series of transactions involved in pyramiding securities

8. (plural) a game similar to billiards with fifteen coloured balls

---

verb

1. to build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid

2. to speculate in (securities or property) by increasing purchases on additional margin or collateral derived from paper profits associated with high prices of securities and property in a boom

3. finance to form (companies) into a pyramid

Other Word Forms

• pyramidal adjective
• pyramidally adverb
• pyramidlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of pyramid

First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin pȳramid- (stem of pȳramis ), from Greek pȳramís; replacing Middle English pyramis, from Latin, as above

Explanation

When you think pyramid, you're probably picturing the famous pyramids of Egypt — the enormous triangular monuments where pharaohs were buried thousands of years ago. Besides being a polyhedron shape, pyramid can also represent shady financial dealings. If you've got a pyramid scheme — and if you do, you may be reading this from your jail cell — you have people buy into your "investment" and then they recruit others to buy in, too. The early investors rise in the pyramid and are then paid "returns" out of the funds paid in by the new investors they've recruited (the pyramid base), and on and on.

Example Sentences

"There are dark clouds hovering over the English football pyramid and it seems to me there could be a real collapse where only the Premier League survives."

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

A recent update of the federal dietary guidelines recommended Americans consume more protein and put beef atop the new food pyramid.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 19, 2026

To precisely position the sensing components, the team built DNA tetrahedrons, which are small pyramid shaped nanostructures formed entirely from DNA.

From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026

The eye-catching inverted pyramid designed in brutalist style is visible from the 101 Freeway and served as Sunkist’s headquarters from 1970 to 2013.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 11, 2026

Evan started to stack the cans in a pyramid.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Related Words

• edifice
• memorial
• monolith
• shrine
• tomb