pyramid
Americannoun
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Architecture.
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(in ancient Egypt) a quadrilateral masonry mass having smooth, steeply sloping sides meeting at an apex, used as a tomb.
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(in ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian Central America) a quadrilateral masonry mass, stepped and sharply sloping, used as a tomb or a platform for a temple.
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anything of such form.
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a number of persons or things arranged or heaped up in this manner.
a pyramid of acrobats; a pyramid of boxes.
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a system or structure resembling a pyramid, as in hierarchical form.
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Geometry. a solid having a polygonal base, and triangular sides that meet in a point.
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Crystallography. any form the planes of which intersect all three of the axes.
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Anatomy, Zoology. any of various parts or structures of pyramidal form.
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a tree pruned or trained to grow in conical form.
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(used with a singular verb) pyramids, a form of pocket billiards for two or four players in which 15 colored balls, initially placed in the form of a triangle, are pocketed with one white cue ball.
verb (used without object)
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to take, or become disposed in, the form of a pyramid.
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Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to enlarge one's operations in a series of transactions, as on a continued rise or decline in price, by using profits in transactions not yet closed, and consequently not yet in hand, as margin for additional buying or selling in the next transaction.
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to increase gradually, as with the completion of each phase.
Our problems are beginning to pyramid.
verb (used with object)
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to arrange in the form of a pyramid.
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to raise or increase (costs, wages, etc.) by adding amounts gradually.
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to cause to increase at a steady and progressive rate.
New overseas markets have pyramided the company's profits.
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Stock Exchange. (in speculating on margin) to operate in, or employ in, pyramiding.
noun
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a huge masonry construction that has a square base and, as in the case of the ancient Egyptian royal tombs, four sloping triangular sides
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an object, formation, or structure resembling such a construction
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maths a solid having a polygonal base and triangular sides that meet in a common vertex
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crystallog a crystal form in which three planes intersect all three axes of the crystal
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anatomy any pointed or cone-shaped bodily structure or part
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finance a group of enterprises containing a series of holding companies structured so that the top holding company controls the entire group with a relatively small proportion of the total capital invested
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the series of transactions involved in pyramiding securities
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(plural) a game similar to billiards with fifteen coloured balls
verb
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to build up or be arranged in the form of a pyramid
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to speculate in (securities or property) by increasing purchases on additional margin or collateral derived from paper profits associated with high prices of securities and property in a boom
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finance to form (companies) into a pyramid
Other Word Forms
- pyramidal adjective
- pyramidally adverb
- pyramidlike adjective
Etymology
Origin of pyramid
First recorded in 1350–1400; from Latin pȳramid- (stem of pȳramis ), from Greek pȳramís; replacing Middle English pyramis, from Latin, as above
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Hashtag United have risen through the football pyramid with an army of YouTube subscribers – but now they are seeking relegation.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
The federal government has been promoting an upside down pyramid that features steak and cheese at the top, along with vegetables, to go along with its new dietary guidelines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
To precisely position the sensing components, the team built DNA tetrahedrons, which are small pyramid shaped nanostructures formed entirely from DNA.
From Science Daily • Feb. 16, 2026
Read more: The new food pyramid and brands like Starbucks and Chipotle want us to eat more protein.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 30, 2026
Through the next glass pyramid, he glimpsed a big dining hall.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
