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
Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024
Jelly Roll sang the first verse as Kix Brooks played the piano.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
The musical instrument sitting over in the corner, idle but not gathering dust, at the center of August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play The Piano Lesson is more than just a piano.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Musicians including Duke Ellington performed at the mahogany piano in the ballroom.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piano 
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Noun
Elsewhere across the country, Snoop Dog, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jeff Goldblum were rocking timepieces from Cartier; John Legend was spotted on the piano wearing an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Chronograph and Pharrell Williams was on TV flashing his Richard Mille UP-01 Ferrari.
—Sophie Furley, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024
Jelly Roll sang the first verse as Kix Brooks played the piano.
—Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024
The musical instrument sitting over in the corner, idle but not gathering dust, at the center of August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play The Piano Lesson is more than just a piano.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Nov. 2024
Musicians including Duke Ellington performed at the mahogany piano in the ballroom.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for piano
Dictionary Entries Near piano
Cite this Entry
“Piano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/piano. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.
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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