Pied Piper


noun
  1. the hero of a German folk legend, popularized in The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1842) by Robert Browning.

  2. Sometimes pied piper . a person who induces others to follow or imitate them, especially by means of false or extravagant promises.

Words Nearby Pied Piper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use Pied Piper in a sentence

  • He was the Pied Piper of life and brought joy to everyone he knew.

  • Unfortunately, such considerations of purpose tend to be drowned out by the alluring, sweet-sounding tune of a Pied Piper.

    The Man Who Gutted the Ivy League | Edward Jay Epstein | March 28, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • The fowl walked slowly away with graceful dignity, and I followed like a child after the Pied Piper.

    Sixes and Sevens | O. Henry
  • Mysterious and irresistible as the lure of the Pied Piper is the lure of this child who knows nothing of her own power.

    The Heather-Moon | C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson
  • Gradually the rats, silent and leaping, passed away into the darkness, as though they heard the summons of a Pied Piper.

    Dragon's blood | Henry Milner Rideout

British Dictionary definitions for Pied Piper

Pied Piper

noun
  1. Also called: the Pied Piper of Hamelin (in German legend) a piper who rid the town of Hamelin of rats by luring them away with his music and then, when he was not paid for his services, lured away its children

  2. (sometimes not capitals) a person who entices others to follow him

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012