piste
Americannoun
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a track or trail, as a downhill ski run or a spoor made by a wild animal.
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(in fencing) a regulation-size strip, usually 2 meters wide and 14 meters long, on which fencers compete.
noun
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a trail, slope, or course for skiing
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a rectangular area for fencing bouts
Etymology
Origin of piste
1720–30; < French: animal track < Italian pista, pesta, noun derivative of pestare to pound, crush < Vulgar Latin, frequentative of Latin pī ( n ) sere; cf. pestle
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.
"When she comes skiing, it's nice to get to the bottom of the piste, win or lose, and have this furry ball of love waiting for me."
From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026
It has led him to a seventh-place finish in Saturday's downhill, racing with his guide James Hannan down the iconic Olympia delle Tofane piste, with more events to follow over the coming days.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
She was airlifted off the piste and taken to hospital in Treviso, where she was diagnosed with a "complex tibia fracture" in her left leg.
From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026
She was winched off the piste by a rescue helicopter and is being treated in a hospital in Treviso.
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
By this time the hum of motors was heard at a great distance, but gradually it increased in volume and soon the light of the flares revealed the machine circling rapidly over the piste.
From High Adventure A Narrative of Air Fighting in France by Hall, James Norman
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.
