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• piano
  piano

  noun

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

  noun

  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)

piano

¹ American  

[pee-an-oh, pyan-oh] / piˈæn oʊ, ˈpjæn oʊ /

noun

• pianos
  plural

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

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piano ² American  

[pee-ah-noh, pyah-naw] / piˈɑ noʊ, ˈpjɑ nɔ /

adjective

1. soft; subdued.

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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

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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)

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piano ³ British  

/ ˈpjɑːnəʊ /

adjective

1. p. music (to be performed) softly

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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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pianos
  plural

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

Explanation

A piano is a large musical instrument that you play by pressing black and white keys on a keyboard. Most people play a piano with their fingers, but Jerry Lee Lewis played with his fingers, feet, elbows, and, ahem, backside. A piano makes a sound when each key moves a small hammer that strikes a metal string. The inside of a piano looks kind of like a harp. Pianos are vital in many kinds of music, from classical to pop, and in the case of Lewis, boogie-woogie. Piano comes from the original Italian name for the instrument: piano e forte, "soft and loud." Piano is also the musical notation that tells the player that something should be played quietly.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

piano Piano pianos

The Geese frontman’s new LP, recorded alone at a piano at the New York concert hall, showcases his gifts and quirks as a performer and songwriter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

But a baby grand piano which featured in the artwork for the Supersonic single, which was valued at between £100,000 and £150,000 failed to sell.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

“I keep a piano because finally, finally, finally, I’m going to learn to play the piano.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026

Feathered creatures are a fascination of Ms. Davis as well, who uses prepared piano to accent birdlike sounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

The old organ had collapsed a few years back, so Mrs. Milton had to pound out hymns on an out-of-tune piano.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

The author argues that Clara herself deserves a spot in that canon for such works as her Piano Sonata in G-Minor and “Three Romances for Violin and Piano.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

He also appeared in Jane Campion's 1993 period drama The Piano, which received the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win three Oscars.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

In 1993, Jane Campion became the first woman to receive a Palme d'Or for "The Piano".

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

There was a master plan, which was made by Renzo Piano.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

Piano Fingers clasps his hands in front of his face.

From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na

In addition to luxury wares, shoppers can often find special prices on pianos, saunas and even cars with prearranged discounts for members.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026

And it ends with Sabotage, where discordant pianos and jump-scare strings soundtrack her self-destruction.

From BBC ● May 2, 2026

I think people will be very bored with screen time in 20 years, so we will have moved back to fishing, reading books, gardening, playing real guitars and pianos, taking walks, and enjoying family cookouts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

When he played the piano, he shared how he had lost two much-loved pianos when his house burnt down in the LA fires earlier this year.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025

It was “furnished” only with a table, benches, and two pianos, and they had to stay out during the day, when the teacher gave lessons.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Related Words

• grand piano
• instrument
• keyboard