piano
1 of 2adverb or adjective
pi·a·no
pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō 
: at a soft volume : soft
—used as a direction in music
pi·ano
pē-ˈa-(ˌ)nō
also
-ˈä-
plural pianos
: a musical instrument having steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard
Examples of piano in a Sentence
Noun
Do you play the piano?
He takes piano lessons on Wednesdays.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
But the song’s piano version, recorded earlier in 2018, is sparser and even more haunting.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Born without a right forearm, Canal learned how to play piano at the behest of her grandmother, before advancing to acoustic guitar.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Cruz had been playing guitar for years — and also knows how to play the piano and mandolin.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piano
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Noun
That line also segues into a spidery electric piano solo that evokes the Seventies mystique of Chick Corea’s band Return to Forever.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
But the song’s piano version, recorded earlier in 2018, is sparser and even more haunting.
—Kristen S. Hé, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025
Born without a right forearm, Canal learned how to play piano at the behest of her grandmother, before advancing to acoustic guitar.
—Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2025
Cruz had been playing guitar for years — and also knows how to play the piano and mandolin.
—Marina Watts, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for piano
Cite this Entry
“Piano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piano. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
piano
1 of 2 adverb or adjective
pi·a·no
pē-ˈän-ō
: in a soft or quiet manner
—used as a direction in music
piano
2 of 2 noun
pi·ano
pē-ˈan-ō
plural pianos
: a musical instrument consisting of a large frame holding steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers which are operated from a keyboard
pianist
noun
pē-ˈan-əst
ˈpē-ə-nəst
Etymology
Noun
from Italian piano "a keyboard musical instrument," a shortened form of pianoforte, from piano "soft" and forte "loud"; so called because, unlike earlier keyboard instruments, it could be played with varying degrees of loudness
Biographical Definition
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