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.

In 1897, American inventor Edwin S. Votey invented the “Pianola,” a self-playing piano whose perforated paper rolls functioned much like computer punch cards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 14, 2026

A self-playing piano lets him fake his way into a job as a restaurant pianist.

From The Guardian • May 5, 2020

For those too young to remember the 1890s, the self-playing instrument spun out its tunes on an upright piano via precisely placed punch holes on rolls of paper.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 7, 2018

Standing in front of a re-creation of one of the band’s studios, I read that the black upright piano against the wall is self-playing and connected to Benny’s present-day studio in Skeppsholmen.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2016

"Maybe our piano has one of those self-playing tricks, and somebody wound it up by accident."

From The Bobbsey Twins in the Country by Hope, Laura Lee