piano
1a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.
Origin of piano
1- Compare baby grand, concert grand, grand piano, spinet, square piano, upright piano.
Words Nearby piano
Other definitions for piano (2 of 2)
soft; subdued.
softly. Abbreviation: p, p.
Origin of piano
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use piano in a sentence
When cords snapped and the piano fell, those same keys could still be played, but they were now out of tune.
‘Little Nightmares II’ made me dread every moment. And I loved it. | Elise Favis | February 9, 2021 | Washington PostRogers gave piano lessons to beginners as well as to more experienced musicians.
Joanne Rogers, memory-keeper of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ dies at 92 | Emily Langer | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostHe described himself as “making revolution all over the place, falling in and out of love all the time, drinking and playing bridge” until he settled into serious study of the piano.
Fou Ts’ong, Chinese pianist who bridged East and West, dies at 86 of covid-19 | Emily Langer | January 7, 2021 | Washington PostIn October, New Yorker food writer Helen Rosner tweeted about a McDonald’s commercial that’s been lodged in her brain since childhood, this one featuring a girl at a music recital who’s thinking about McDonald’s instead of the piano.
The McDonald’s Commercials That Live in Our Minds, Rent Free | MM Carrigan | December 18, 2020 | EaterThey’re also saving $1,500 a month on child care and several hundred dollars a month on piano lessons and taekwondo classes for their older children.
A time to splurge or a time to scrape by: Holidays expose widening disparity among U.S. families | Abha Bhattarai | December 17, 2020 | Washington Post
I sat down at the living room piano and started playing this.
On piano was legendary session man Billy Preston, who co-wrote and recorded the original version one year before Cocker's.
Seth, Joe, and [Anthony] Mackie reenacting the scene from BIG on the floor piano at FAO Schwartz with KANYE WEST.
Exclusive: Sony Emails Reveal Destiny’s Child and Kanye West Movies, and Spidey Cameo in Capt. 3 | William Boot | December 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA department store piano melody plays in the background while he admires everything he can see.
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians) | Brandy Zadrozny | November 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen you left the piano for the Fender Rhodes and various synthesizers and came back to it, did it affect the way you play piano?
He really seems to care almost nothing for his piano-playing or for his piano compositions.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayA splendid grand piano stands in one window (he receives a new one every year).
Music-Study in Germany | Amy FayAt an early hour in the evening the Farival twins were prevailed upon to play the piano.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinThe very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinShe sat perfectly still before the piano, not touching the keys, while Robert carried her message to Edna at the window.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate Chopin
British Dictionary definitions for piano (1 of 3)
/ (pɪˈænəʊ) /
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
Origin of piano
1British Dictionary definitions for piano (2 of 3)
/ (ˈpjɑːnəʊ) /
music (to be performed) softly: Symbol: p
Origin of piano
2British Dictionary definitions for Piano (3 of 3)
/ (Italian pjˈɑno) /
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
Cultural definitions for piano
A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse