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
Rhonda Richford, WWD, 12 Mar. 2025
The frogs from Ecuador were subtly but consistently different from hourglass tree frogs found elsewhere.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
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
Shapely silhouettes with wider shoulders narrowing into hourglass cuts.
—Rhonda Richford, WWD, 12 Mar. 2025
The frogs from Ecuador were subtly but consistently different from hourglass tree frogs found elsewhere.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
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 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share