Pied Piper

American

noun

the hero of a German folk legend, popularized in The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1842) by Robert Browning.
Sometimes pied piper a person who induces others to follow or imitate them, especially by means of false or extravagant promises.

Pied Piper British

noun

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
(sometimes not capitals) a person who entices others to follow him

"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

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.

First reserve Pied Piper will take the place of the 2025 winner, who was taken out of the race having been reported to be coughing.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

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

Tonight DesJarlais acts as the DJ, emcee and Pied Piper of the event.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2024

If Nicoleta is the Pied Piper of all things coastal grandmother, Meyers the filmmaker is her muse — and Diane Keaton her patron saint.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 18, 2022

Following the song to the parlor, as if Miss Love was a Pied Piper, I stopped at the door in pure amazement.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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