PISTON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Piston mean? 

• PISTON (noun)
  The noun PISTON has 2 senses:

1. United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976)

2. mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion

  Familiarity information: PISTON used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• PISTON (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

United States neoclassical composer (1894-1976)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

Piston; Walter Piston

Instance hypernyms:

composer (someone who composes music as a profession)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Mechanical device that has a plunging or thrusting motion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

piston; plunger

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

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

Meronyms (parts of "piston"):

piston ring (seal consisting of a split metal ring that seals the gap between a piston and the cylinder wall)

piston rod (connecting rod that moves or is moved by a piston)

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

reciprocating engine (an internal-combustion engine in which the crankshaft is turned by pistons moving up and down in cylinders)

 Context examples 

A process that fills a dosage unit using a piston to deliver the powder, which is not performed under sterile conditions.

(Non-Sterile Piston Powder Filling Method, NCI Thesaurus)

A bearing located toward the bottom of a piston.

(Lower Piston Bearing Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

The portion of a piston above the topmost seal ring.

(Piston Head Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A pad designed to fit onto the head of a piston.

(Piston Pad Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

A device similar to a bushing but designed to reduce the linear friction between a piston and its cylinder.

(Piston Guide Device Component, NCI Thesaurus)

Indeed, live-cell microscopy revealed nuclei in lobopodial cells pulling forward and falling backward like a piston.

(New Mechanism of Cell Movement Revealed, NIH)

The bubble forces the water surface itself to vibrate, acting like a piston to drive the airborne sound.

(What causes the sound of a dripping tap – and how do you stop it?, University of Cambridge)

Just like a combustion engine burning fuel to power the pistons, healthy heart cells consume fuel molecules to create the necessary energy to keep the heart pumping.

(Excess Fat Disrupts Heart Cell's Energy System, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

The ceiling of this small chamber is really the end of the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons upon this metal floor.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The bubble then drives oscillations of the water surface at the bottom of the cavity, acting like a piston driving sound waves into the air.

(What causes the sound of a dripping tap – and how do you stop it?, University of Cambridge)