player piano

American  

noun

1. a piano that can play automatically when the keys are actuated electronically or by a pneumatic device controlled by a piano roll.

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player piano British  

noun

1. a mechanical piano; Pianola

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Etymology

Origin of player piano

An Americanism dating back to 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

player piano

The phonograph and the player piano together brought technological musical reproduction into the home in the early 1900s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

As a teenager, he thought, “Wouldn’t it be great if the player piano could play along with a silent movie?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2025

Any piece for so many pianos is bound to call to mind Conlon Nancarrow, an American composer who wrote vastly complex music for the player piano.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2025

Glass does appear briefly, in the form of a Steinway Spirio piano — an instrument that can record sound and touch then reproduce it, like an advanced player piano.

From New York Times ● Mar. 31, 2023

Because the apartment is located right on top of the steakhouse, I can hear the noisy player piano in the bar every night as I fall asleep.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling