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
Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2026
Her blond wig is piled sky-high, and her still-hourglass shape peeks through a marabou and chiffon peignoir.
—Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hourglass
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Now, Wind has teamed up with the very man behind the design to unveil his own colorful new collection of hourglasses.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 7 Apr. 2026
Her blond wig is piled sky-high, and her still-hourglass shape peeks through a marabou and chiffon peignoir.
—Tony Bravo, San Francisco Chronicle, 3 Apr. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for hourglass
Cite this Entry
“Hourglass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hourglass. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
