Illustration of hourglass
hour·glass
ˈau̇(-ə)r-ˌglas 
: an instrument for measuring time consisting of a glass vessel having two compartments from the upper of which a quantity of usually sand runs in an hour into the lower one
: shaped like an hourglass
an hourglass figure
Examples of hourglass in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 May 2024
Del Rey, for instance, showed up looking like a glamorous woodland nymph in custom Alexander McQueen, while Tyla dressed as a human hourglass in a Balmain outfit designed to look like it were made out of sand.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 May 2024
In a one-of-a-kind piece from Balmain, Tyla wore a dress made entirely of sand in the shape of an hourglass.
—Lauryn Jiles, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024
For her first Met Gala, Singer Tyla wore a Balmain gown made of sculpted sand and carried an hourglass instead of a regular clutch.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 May 2024
Ben Simmons carried a Thom Browne briefcase affixed with a clock and Tyla—dresses as the sands of time—held an hourglass.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The form-fitting Balmain outfit (which included an hourglass clutch) proved tricky to walk in, as is evident by red carpet footage of the star being lifted up parts of the staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The Lakers’ 7-8 January put them at 24-25 after back-to-back road losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks, with James sending a cryptic hourglass emoji after the loss to the Hawks.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2024
The strapless gown has a tube silhouette with a dramatic train, providing an hourglass effect.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Kate Branch, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2018
Her bright blouse and pants clung to her thick, hourglass figure.
—Aya De Leon, The Root, 22 Apr. 2018
Noun
The form-fitting gown travels down into a small train while Tyla holds an hourglass bag.
—Kerane Marcellus, Essence, 7 May 2024
Del Rey, for instance, showed up looking like a glamorous woodland nymph in custom Alexander McQueen, while Tyla dressed as a human hourglass in a Balmain outfit designed to look like it were made out of sand.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 7 May 2024
In a one-of-a-kind piece from Balmain, Tyla wore a dress made entirely of sand in the shape of an hourglass.
—Lauryn Jiles, Miami Herald, 7 May 2024
For her first Met Gala, Singer Tyla wore a Balmain gown made of sculpted sand and carried an hourglass instead of a regular clutch.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 7 May 2024
Ben Simmons carried a Thom Browne briefcase affixed with a clock and Tyla—dresses as the sands of time—held an hourglass.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 7 May 2024
The form-fitting Balmain outfit (which included an hourglass clutch) proved tricky to walk in, as is evident by red carpet footage of the star being lifted up parts of the staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
The Lakers’ 7-8 January put them at 24-25 after back-to-back road losses to the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks, with James sending a cryptic hourglass emoji after the loss to the Hawks.
—Khobi Price, Orange County Register, 30 Apr. 2024
The strapless gown has a tube silhouette with a dramatic train, providing an hourglass effect.
—Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Adjective
And yet, her body, designed by a man, had a waist equivalent to 18 inches on a real woman; an impossibly thin figure made even more so by her zaftig 39-inch bust and 33-inch hourglass hip measurement.
—Kate Branch, Vogue, 27 Apr. 2018
Her bright blouse and pants clung to her thick, hourglass figure.
—Aya De Leon, The Root, 22 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hourglass.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hourglass
Cite this Entry
“Hourglass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hourglass. Accessed 10 May. 2024.
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