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Synonyms

piano

1 American  
[pee-an-oh, pyan-oh] / piˈæn oʊ, ˈpyæn oʊ /

noun

plural

pianos

  1. a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.

piano 2 American  
[pee-ah-noh, pyah-naw] / piˈɑ noʊ, ˈpyɑ nɔ /

adjective

  1. soft; subdued.

adverb

  1. softly. p, p.

piano 1 British  
/ pɪˈænəʊ /

noun

  1. a musical stringed instrument resembling a harp set in a vertical or horizontal frame, played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike the strings and produce audible vibrations See also grand piano upright piano

"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
Piano 2 British  
/ pjˈɑno /

noun

  1. Renzo. born 1937, Italian architect; buildings include the Pompidou Centre, Paris (1977; with Richard Rogers), the Potsdamer Platz redevelopment, Berlin (1998), and The Shard, London (2012)

"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
piano 3 British  
/ ˈpjɑːnəʊ /

adjective

  1.  p.  music (to be performed) softly

"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
piano Cultural  

  1. A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.

Etymology

Origin of piano1

First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte

Origin of piano2

1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“This time, I wasn’t 17 years old, going through my first heartbreak, crying at the piano and a song just flies out. I had to sharpen my songwriting skills and my singing skills,” Rodrigo said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 2, 2026

That piano is called the Dig EP from the Roland JV-1080 — the preset that Babyface used on the “Waiting to Exhale” soundtrack.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

James: I started learning how to play the piano the last few years.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

The wide tonal variation continues with “Don’t Let Go,” a gorgeous midtempo weeper with pedal-steel guitar, tinkly piano and mournful fiddle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

I told her about the piano lessons with Irene, how he showed up that day, the rush he gave me.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.