Pied Piper
Americannoun
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the hero of a German folk legend, popularized in The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1842) by Robert Browning.
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Sometimes pied piper a person who induces others to follow or imitate them, especially by means of false or extravagant promises.
noun
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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
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(sometimes not capitals) a person who entices others to follow him
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.
One by one, they are turned into vampires by Kurt Barlow, ostensibly a furniture salesman but in fact a Pied Piper of the undead.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 7, 2025
"It's exciting for me as I want to do things I like but also bring new people in. I'm kind of like the Pied Piper of Pitlochry."
From BBC • Jan. 21, 2025
Tonight DesJarlais acts as the DJ, emcee and Pied Piper of the event.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2024
My question is why so many people love him and turn him into their Pied Piper.
From Salon • Jan. 11, 2024
He rushed toward the entryway, and it was as if he’d become the Pied Piper now.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
