prickly pear

noun

1

or prickly pear cactus : opuntia

especially : an opuntia with flattened, usually paddle-shaped, jointed stem segments compare cholla, nopal

2

or prickly pear fruit : the pulpy, pear- or egg-shaped, edible, yellow to purplish-red fruit of various prickly pears (such as Opuntia ficus-indica) see tuna entry 2

Illustration of prickly pear

• prickly pear 1

Examples of prickly pear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The lineup includes Garden 108, which leans grassy and herbal; Spice 94, which carries hints of allspice and oak; Grove 42, built around three types of orange and peppercorn; and Notas de Agave, made with prickly pear, lime and agave. —Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 27 May 2026

With a bright green, mint-scented formula, Tata Harper’s Clarifying Cleanser stars prickly pear enzymes, willow bark extract, lactic, citric, and salicylic acids to speed up skin cell turnover and balance oil production. —Sarah Felbin, Allure, 20 May 2026

My kids might not be getting prickly pear for breakfast anytime soon. —Jamie Siebrase, Denver Post, 20 May 2026

But in the dark, Yara was just trying their best not to trip over young clumps of prickly pear. —Literary Hub, 19 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1696, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for prickly pear

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware

Kids Definition

prickly pear

noun

1

: any of numerous cacti with spines and usually flat stem segments

2

: the pear-shaped sweet edible pulpy fruit of a prickly pear