First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte
1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain 1
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I just sang the line to my piano player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Indeed, her 1964 signature hit "Downtown", which sold millions and earned her a Grammy award, had no lyrics when she first heard composer Tony Hatch playing it on the piano.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
After about two years of practicing, and a couple of weeks out from an operation on her right hand, Freya realised she might never play the piano with two hands again.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Countless karaoke nights and rainy drives have been scored to Tyler’s inimitable song, so much so that the opening piano notes of “Total Eclipse of the Heart” might precede Tyler’s substantial legacy.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, she was giving a piano lesson to a girl who kept messing up. I got annoyed, and I was like, ‘Don’t you hear the next note?
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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
Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar – One night, about 100 women from the Women in Auto Care conference I was attending descended on this place with zero warning — and the staff didn’t miss a beat.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026
“Body & Soul” marks several participants’ first ventures into public work, including Hollywood artist Finley, whose “The Piano Player” will be installed near the corner of Airport Avenue and Donald Douglas Loop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
After a few bars of Piano Concerto no.
From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan
At this point, Mr. Dessner’s instantly identifiable studio techniques—stately pianos, dry and uninflected recordings captured up close, rushing builds when a song lurches toward a climax—have become shopworn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
And it ends with Sabotage, where discordant pianos and jump-scare strings soundtrack her self-destruction.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
The pianos are made in significant numbers, but each one requires the application of personalized craft; Mr. Payne’s photographs display Steinway employees with the technical virtuosity and artistic improvisations of fine musicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 25, 2026
One got in touch to invite Jimmy to see one of Sinatra's old pianos.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
For instruments that can tune almost instantly, like voices, violins, and trombones, this is not a problem; but it is unworkable for pianos, harps, and other other instruments that cannot make small tuning adjustments quickly.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
