pyramid

noun

pyr·a·mid | \ˈpir-ə-ˌmid

Definition of pyramid

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : an ancient massive structure found especially in Egypt having typically a square ground plan, outside walls in the form of four triangles that meet in a point at the top, and inner sepulchral chambers

b : a structure or object of similar form

2 : a polyhedron having for its base a polygon and for faces triangles with a common vertex — see Volume Formulas Table

3 : a crystalline form each face of which intersects the vertical axis and either two lateral axes or in the tetragonal system one lateral axis

4 : an anatomical structure resembling a pyramid: such as

a : any of the conical masses that project from the renal medulla into the renal pelvis

b : either of two large bundles of motor fibers from the cerebral cortex that reach the medulla oblongata and are continuous with the pyramidal tracts of the spinal cord

5 : an immaterial structure built on a broad supporting base and narrowing gradually to an apex the socioeconomic pyramid

pyramid

verb

pyramided; pyramiding; pyramids

Definition of pyramid (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to speculate (as on a security or commodity exchange) by using paper profits as margin for additional transactions

2 : to increase rapidly and progressively step by step on a broad base

transitive verb

1 : to arrange or build up as if on the base of a pyramid

2 : to use (something, such as profits) in speculative pyramiding

3 : to increase the impact of (something, such as a tax assessed at the production level) on the ultimate consumer by treating as a cost subject to markup

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Other Words from pyramid

Noun

pyramidal \pə-ˈra-mə-dᵊl,

ˌpir-ə-ˈmi-

\ adjective

pyramidally adverb

pyramidical \ˌpir-ə-ˈmi-di-kəl

\ adjective

Examples of pyramid in a Sentence

Noun

the ancient pyramids of Egypt

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Political and religious unrest and travel advisories have dissuaded me from seeing the pyramids in Egypt or discovering the ski slopes of Iran. — Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, "Hiking the Jordan Trail to Petra," 25 Apr. 2018 The fluorescent clip sees Belly and The Weeknd serenading the club-ready love tune in various locations, including atop a pyramid and cruising around in a convertible. — Abby Jones, Billboard, "Belly & The Weeknd Debut Hypnotizing 'What You Want' Video: Watch," 31 May 2018 Musk also enthused about selling the bricks in life-sized Lego kits, starting with a pyramid and the temple of Horus. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "The biggest news from Elon Musk’s Boring Company meeting in LA," 18 May 2018 Past creations include dolphins, funland rides, Olympic athletes, pyramids and sea creatures. — baltimoresun.com, "Delaware beaches’ 2018 calendar of events," 11 May 2018 Each chocolate is painted with numerous colors and dusted with edible metallic powder, and each created from more than 20 assorted molds of every shape and design one can imagine: Buddha heads, geometric shapes, pyramids and more. — Lainey Berkus, San Antonio Express-News, "Peek inside the bag of an S.A. chocolatier living the sweet life," 3 May 2018 Smith boasted of exploring the pyramids and visiting places like Rwanda. — James Vlahos, GQ, "The Mystery of the Killer Vacation," 18 Apr. 2018 The LiDAR sensors have uncovered houses, large palaces, ceremonial centers, pyramids and ancient roadways that up until five years ago were nearly impossible to find in the thick vegetation of the Peten Forest. — Maria Clark, NOLA.com, "Tulane researchers help discover vast network of Mayan cities in the Guatemalan jungle," 19 Feb. 2018 The structure of Consumers’ Buyline brings to mind Nxivm’s setup, with members recruiting other members and the way that Raniere was often introduced late in a participant’s membership, standing out of reach at the top of the pyramid. — Vanessa Grigoriadis, New York Times, "The ‘Sex Cult’ That Preached Empowerment," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pyramid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near pyramid

Statistics for pyramid

Last Updated

12 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for pyramid

The first known use of pyramid was in 1549

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More Definitions for pyramid

pyramid

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pyramid

: a very large structure built especially in ancient Egypt that has a square base and four triangular sides which form a point at the top

: a shape, object, or pile that is wide near the bottom and narrows gradually as it reaches the top

: something that resembles a pyramid in the way its parts are arranged or organized

See the full definition for pyramid in the English Language Learners Dictionary

pyramid

noun

pyr·a·mid | \ˈpir-ə-ˌmid

Kids Definition of pyramid

1 : a large structure built especially in ancient Egypt that usually has a square base and four triangular sides meeting at a point and that contains tombs

2 : a shape or structure with a polygon for its base and three or more triangles for its sides which meet to form the top

pyramid

noun

pyr·a·mid | \ˈpir-ə-ˌmid

Medical Definition of pyramid

1 : a polyhedron having for its base a polygon and for faces triangles with a common vertex

2 : an anatomical structure resembling a pyramid: as

a : renal pyramid

b : either of two large bundles of motor fibers from the cerebral cortex that reach the medulla oblongata and are continuous with the corticospinal tracts of the spinal cord

c : a conical projection making up the central part of the inferior vermis of the cerebellum

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pyramid

noun

pyr·a·mid | \ˈpir-ə-ˌmid

Legal Definition of pyramid

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a group of holding companies superimposed on one another to give those in control of the top holding company control over all of the companies with a small investment

2 : the series of operations involved in pyramiding on an exchange

3 : a pyramid scheme

pyramid

intransitive verb

Legal Definition of pyramid (Entry 2 of 3)

: to speculate (as on a security or commodity exchange) by using paper profits as a margin for additional transactions

transitive verb

1 : to use (as profits) in speculative pyramiding

2 : to increase the impact of (as a tax assessed at the production level) on the ultimate consumer by treating as a cost subject to markup

pyramid

adjective

Legal Definition of pyramid (Entry 3 of 3)

: of, relating to, or being an illegal scheme in which participants give money or other valuables in exchange for the opportunity to receive payment for recruiting others to participate in the scheme