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

Other popular Arizona foods include Sonoran hot dogs, prickly pear margaritas and paletas. —Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 29 July 2025

In comparison, Spinello’s Prickly Pear Liquid Diamond Infused Fruit Chews have a much more traditional candy texture, flavored with prickly pear puree and beet sugar, without an obvious cannabis taste. —Irene Adeline Milanez, Sacbee.com, 28 July 2025

Ortiz-Concha takes advantage of the abundant native fruits simply by juicing them, then using the bright pink liquid for an icy prickly pear granita. —Johnny Ortiz-Concha, Saveur, 10 July 2025

Let this prickly pear margarita recipe be the talk of the happy hour, with bright pink prickly pear syrup. —Erin Hooker, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 July 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