1
: a sliding piece moved by or moving against fluid pressure which usually consists of a short cylindrical body fitting within a cylindrical chamber or vessel along which it moves back and forth
2
: a sliding valve moving in a cylinder in a brass instrument which when depressed by a finger knob serves to lower the instrument's pitch
Examples of piston in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Huff explains that, unlike a piston engine, a turbine engine compresses and then ignites the air-fuel mixture and blows the expanding gases past the turbine at an angle, which drives the shaft and generates power to move the vehicle.
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Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
His team started by doing this experiment with plain water and air acting as the hydraulic fluids driving the piston.
—Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 23 Apr. 2024
The sound of a piping flute — a familiar hallmark of Shakespeare productions — gave way to the shriek of train whistles, the thud of pistons, and Ukrainian-language announcements of trains arriving from battered cities across the country.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024
Five ecstatic huskies are pulling me through an icy white landscape, tongues lolling out of their mouths and legs pumping like pistons.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piston 
Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
His team started by doing this experiment with plain water and air acting as the hydraulic fluids driving the piston.
—Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 23 Apr. 2024
The sound of a piping flute — a familiar hallmark of Shakespeare productions — gave way to the shriek of train whistles, the thud of pistons, and Ukrainian-language announcements of trains arriving from battered cities across the country.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024
Five ecstatic huskies are pulling me through an icy white landscape, tongues lolling out of their mouths and legs pumping like pistons.
—Pam Leblanc, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piston
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'piston.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Piston.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piston. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piston
noun
pis·ton
ˈpis-tən 
: a sliding piece moved by or moving against the pressure of a fluid (as steam or hot gases) that usually consists of a short solid cylinder moving within a larger hollow cylinder
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