pear
Pluralpears
- 1A sweet, juicy fruit that is round at the bottom and narrower near the stem.
She packed a pear in her lunch bag.
These pears are still too hard to eat.
UsageDon't mix up pear (a fruit) and pair (two).
- 2A tree that grows pears and has white flowers in spring.
The pear in our yard is covered in white flowers every spring.
Grandpa waters the young pears he planted along the fence.
- 3The wood that comes from a pear tree, used as a material for making things.
Of all the woods in his shop, Grandpa likes pear best for carving spoons.
Dad chose pear for the knife handle because it is strong and smooth.
UsageSay made of pear or pearwood.
- 4An avocado, a fruit with dark green skin and soft, creamy green flesh.
Grandma cut the pear, took out its big seed, and spread it on bread.
The pears on our tree have one big seed and creamy green insides.
Similaravocado
Note
Less common meanings
- 5A soft yellow-green color, like the skin of a ripe pear.
She painted her bedroom walls pear because she loves soft green colors.
The jacket comes in three colors: navy, gray, and pear.
- 6A metal tool shaped like a pear that opens up, said to have been used long ago to hurt or silence people.
Nobody knows for sure if the old iron pear in the museum was ever used to hurt people.
The museum guide told us the metal pear was once used to silence prisoners.
- 7A jewel, often a diamond, cut in the shape of a teardrop, round at one end and pointed at the other.
Practice
Can you tell the meanings of pear apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.
Origin
It comes from Old English "pere," which came from Latin "pira" (from "pirum"). The word was probably borrowed from an unknown Mediterranean language.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Pear derives from Old English pere. en.wiktionary.org
- Old English pere ultimately derives from Latin pira, from pirum. en.wiktionary.org