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
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This is achieved essentially with large magnets, as opposed to steam pistons used on older American carriers.
—
Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
Given that Maryland researchers earn $1.3 billion in such funds each year, this is a $3.2 billion piston in our economic engine, enabling tens of thousands of Marylanders to earn good paychecks while advancing medical innovation for patients.
—Kelly Schulz, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2025
As an example, the paper points to the structural beams inside the instrument panels on EVs built by some legacy automakers using specifications that were needed for cars with piston engines to eliminate vibrations from those engines.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
When the valve arrests the parallel flow, the damping forces rise in correlation to the duration of one-way piston movement on the rebound side.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024
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Matthew Bodner, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2025
Given that Maryland researchers earn $1.3 billion in such funds each year, this is a $3.2 billion piston in our economic engine, enabling tens of thousands of Marylanders to earn good paychecks while advancing medical innovation for patients.
—Kelly Schulz, Baltimore Sun, 15 Feb. 2025
As an example, the paper points to the structural beams inside the instrument panels on EVs built by some legacy automakers using specifications that were needed for cars with piston engines to eliminate vibrations from those engines.
—Ed Garsten, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
When the valve arrests the parallel flow, the damping forces rise in correlation to the duration of one-way piston movement on the rebound side.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 5 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for piston
Cite this Entry
“Piston.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piston. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.
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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