PIPE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does pipe mean? 

• PIPE (noun)
  The noun PIPE has 5 senses:

1. a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

2. a long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc.

3. a hollow cylindrical shape

4. a tubular wind instrument

5. the flues and stops on a pipe organ

  Familiarity information: PIPE used as a noun is common.

• PIPE (verb)
  The verb PIPE has 4 senses:

1. utter a shrill cry

2. transport by pipeline

3. play on a pipe

4. trim with piping

  Familiarity information: PIPE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PIPE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

pipe; tobacco pipe

Hypernyms ("pipe" is a kind of...):

tube; tubing (conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases)

Meronyms (parts of "pipe"):

mouthpiece (the tube of a pipe or cigarette holder that a smoker holds in the mouth)

stem (the tube of a tobacco pipe)

bowl; pipe bowl (a small round container that is open at the top for holding tobacco)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pipe"):

calumet; peace pipe; pipe of peace (a highly decorated ceremonial pipe of Amerindians; smoked on ceremonial occasions (especially as a token of peace))

meerschaum (a pipe having a bowl made of meerschaum)

calean; chicha; hookah; hubble-bubble; hubbly-bubbly; kalian; narghile; nargileh; sheesha; shisha; water pipe (an oriental tobacco pipe with a long flexible tube connected to a container where the smoke is cooled by passing through water)

clay pipe (a pipe made of clay)

calabash; calabash pipe (a pipe for smoking; has a curved stem and a large bowl made from a calabash gourd)

briar; briar pipe (a pipe made from the root (briarroot) of the tree heath)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

pipage; pipe; piping

Hypernyms ("pipe" is a kind of...):

tube; tubing (conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases)

Meronyms (parts of "pipe"):

spout (an opening that allows the passage of liquids or grain)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pipe"):

standpipe (a vertical pipe)

tailpipe (a pipe carrying fumes from the muffler to the rear of a car)

steam line; steam pipe (a pipe conducting steam)

sparge pipe (a horizontal pipe having fine holes drilled throughout its length so as to deliver a spray of water)

riser; riser main; riser pipe; riser pipeline (a vertical pipe in a building)

line; pipeline (a pipe used to transport liquids or gases)

manifold (a pipe that has several lateral outlets to or from other pipes)

fuel line; gas line; petrol line (a pipe that carries gasoline from a tank to a gasoline engine)

exhaust pipe (a pipe through which burned gases travel from the exhaust manifold to the muffler)

elbow (a length of pipe with a sharp bend in it)

drilling pipe (a series of tubes (joined by screwed collars) that connect a drilling platform to the drilling bit; rotates the bit and supplies drilling mud)

drain; drainpipe; waste pipe (a pipe through which liquid is carried away)

discharge pipe (a pipe through which fluids can be discharged)

chimneypot (a short earthenware pipe on the top of a chimney to increase the draft)

main (a principal pipe in a system that distributes water or gas or electricity or that collects sewage)

Derivation:

pipe (transport by pipeline)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A hollow cylindrical shape

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

pipe; tube

Hypernyms ("pipe" is a kind of...):

cylinder (a surface generated by rotating a parallel line around a fixed line)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A tubular wind instrument

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("pipe" is a kind of...):

wind; wind instrument (a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by bellows or the human breath)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pipe"):

bagpipe (a tubular wind instrument; the player blows air into a bag and squeezes it out through the drone)

chanter; melody pipe (reed pipe with finger holes on which the melody is played)

bourdon; drone; drone pipe (a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone)

fipple flute; fipple pipe; recorder; vertical flute (a tubular wind instrument with 8 finger holes and a fipple mouthpiece)

pandean pipe; panpipe; syrinx (a primitive wind instrument consisting of several parallel pipes bound together)

pitch pipe (a small pipe sounding a tone of standard frequency; used to establish the starting pitch for unaccompanied singing)

Derivation:

pipe (play on a pipe)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The flues and stops on a pipe organ

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

organ pipe; pipe; pipework

Hypernyms ("pipe" is a kind of...):

wind; wind instrument (a musical instrument in which the sound is produced by an enclosed column of air that is moved by bellows or the human breath)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pipe"):

organ stop (a graduated set of organ pipes of like tone quality)

reed pipe (organ pipe with a vibrating reed)

flue; flue pipe; labial pipe (organ pipe whose tone is produced by air passing across the sharp edge of a fissure or lip)

Holonyms ("pipe" is a part of...):

organ; pipe organ (wind instrument whose sound is produced by means of pipes arranged in sets supplied with air from a bellows and controlled from a large complex musical keyboard)

• PIPE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they pipe    ... he / she / it pipes   
Past simple: piped   
Past participle: piped   
-ing form: piping   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Utter a shrill cry

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

pipe; pipe up; shriek; shrill

Hypernyms (to "pipe" is one way to...):

call; cry; holler; hollo; scream; shout; shout out; squall; yell (utter a sudden loud cry)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pipe"):

caterwaul; yowl (utter shrieks, as of cats)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 2

Meaning:

Transport by pipeline

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

pipe oil, water, and gas into the desert

Hypernyms (to "pipe" is one way to...):

transport (move something or somebody around; usually over long distances)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s something PP

Derivation:

pipage (a long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc.)

pipage (a fee charged for the use of pipes)

pipe; piping (a long tube made of metal or plastic that is used to carry water or oil or gas etc.)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Play on a pipe

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

pipe a tune

Hypernyms (to "pipe" is one way to...):

play (perform music on (a musical instrument))

Domain category:

music (musical activity (singing or whistling etc.))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Also:

pipe up (begin to play or sing)

Derivation:

pipe (a tubular wind instrument)

piper (someone who plays the bagpipe)

piping (playing a pipe or the bagpipes)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Trim with piping

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Context example:

pipe the skirt

Hypernyms (to "pipe" is one way to...):

adorn; beautify; decorate; embellish; grace; ornament (make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.)

"Pipe" entails doing...:

sew; tailor; tailor-make (create (clothes) with cloth)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

piping (a thin strip of covered cord used to edge hems)

 Context examples 

They talked it over at meal-time, and over their last pipes before going to bed, and one night they held a consultation.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Issue associated with an obstruction or blockage within any of the device components (e.g. tube, opening, pipe) that results in a restriction of flow.

(Occlusion within Medical Device, Food and Drug Administration)

The smoke from a pipe is usually not inhaled into the lungs.

(Pipe, NCI Dictionary)

Then when the table was cleared, and he had lit his pipe, he said:—Now, sir, you can go on and arsk me what you want.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

Water pipes in older homes may contain lead.

(Lead Poisoning, Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry)

“What do you say to a cup of coffee? hot coffee? piping hot?”

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Lord bless you! said Mr. Omer, resuming his pipe, a man must take the fat with the lean; that's what he must make up his mind to, in this life.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The voices stopped at once, all but Dr. Livesey's; he went on as before speaking clear and kind and drawing briskly at his pipe between every word or two.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Crack is smoked in a small glass pipe.

(Cocaine, NIH: National Institute on Drug Abuse)

He took the pipe from his mouth and said simply, "I do not understand."

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)