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

Guests can add a flavor swirl for $1 or opt for signature builds like the Flamingo Freeze (with Tito’s and prickly pear) or the Arctic Drift (with Malibu and a beachy blue hue) for $12. —Gina Pace, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025

After eating a stew made from acacia nuts and prickly pear cactus, Will suffered terrible gastrointestinal stress, eventually vomiting blood. —Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 27 June 2025

What’s more, it’s infused with prickly pear and aloe vera to soothe and repair skin. —Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 26 June 2025

The perfect ode to prickly pear and fields of flowers is in Ilio by Diptyque. —Meghan Rose, Glamour, 4 June 2025

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