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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Versus its 788 hp predecessor in the 812 Superfast, the engine spins up 31 more horses and gets titanium connecting rods that are 40 percent lighter, a lightened crankshaft and pistons, and valve-train components derived directly from Ferrari’s F1 engines, boosting mechanical efficiency.
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Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2024
The basic design was very simple: one static finger and a second that opened and closed the grip based on the motion of a hydraulic piston.
—Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 23 Apr. 2024
Porsche's patent shows the crankshaft spinning within a ring on planetary gears, meaning as the crankshaft rotates, the pistons have two entirely different top-dead-center positions as well as two different bottom-dead-center positions.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2024
So the partition moves unidirectionally, right to left, like a piston expanding.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024
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Lawrence Ulrich, Robb Report, 1 Oct. 2024
The basic design was very simple: one static finger and a second that opened and closed the grip based on the motion of a hydraulic piston.
—Jacek Krywko, Ars Technica, 23 Apr. 2024
Porsche's patent shows the crankshaft spinning within a ring on planetary gears, meaning as the crankshaft rotates, the pistons have two entirely different top-dead-center positions as well as two different bottom-dead-center positions.
—New Atlas, 19 Sep. 2024
So the partition moves unidirectionally, right to left, like a piston expanding.
—Quanta Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piston
Dictionary Entries Near piston
Cite this Entry
“Piston.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piston. Accessed 1 Dec. 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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