pipe

1 of 2

noun

ˈpīp 

plural pipes

1

a

: a tubular wind instrument

specifically : a small fipple flute held in and played by the left hand

b

: one of the tubes of a pipe organ:

(1)

: flue pipe

(2)

: reed pipe

c

: bagpipe

—usually used in plural

d(1)

pipes : vocal cords, voice

… the actress famously showed off her pipes with the emotional ballad "There Are Worse Things I Could Do."

—Sophie Dodd

a singer with a great set of pipes

(2)

: piping sense 1

2

a

: a long tube or hollow body for conducting a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid or for structural purposes

b

: a means of transmission (as of television signals or computer data)

a broadband fiber-optic pipe

3

a

: a tubular or cylindrical object, part, or passage

b

: a roughly cylindrical and vertical geologic formation

c

: the eruptive channel opening into the crater of a volcano

4

a

: a large cask of varying capacity used especially for wine and oil

b

: any of various units of liquid capacity based on the size of a pipe

especially : a unit equal to two hogsheads

5

: a device for smoking usually consisting of a tube having a bowl at one end and a mouthpiece at the other

6

: snap sense 2c, cinch

pipeful

ˈpīp-ˌfu̇l 

noun

pipeless

ˈpīp-ləs 

adjective

pipelike

ˈpīp-ˌlīk 

adjective

pipe

2 of 2

verb

piped; piping

intransitive verb

1

a

: to play on a pipe

b

: to convey orders by signals on a boatswain's pipe

2

a

: to speak in a high or shrill voice

b

: to emit a shrill sound

transitive verb

1

a

: to play (a tune) on a pipe

b

: to utter in the shrill tone of a pipe

2

a

: to lead or cause to go with pipe music

b(1)

: to call or direct by the boatswain's pipe

(2)

: to receive aboard or attend the departure of by sounding a boatswain's pipe

3

: to trim with piping

4

: to place (batter, frosting, etc.) on a surface by pressing or squeezing through a bag or tube fitted with a special nozzle

Pipe frosting over each frozen ice cream mound to cover.

—Emily Young

also : to create (a decoration or pattern) by this method

Pipe a rosette of whipped cream on top.

—Elizabeth Craig

5

: to furnish or equip with pipes

6

: to convey by or as if by pipes

especially : to transmit by wire or coaxial cable

7

: notice

Synonyms

Noun

• channel
• conduit
• duct
• leader
• line
• penstock
• trough
• tube

Verb

• canalize
• channel
• channelize
• conduct
• direct
• funnel
• siphon
• syphon

Examples of pipe in a Sentence

Noun

He has the pipes to sing on Broadway.

a singer with a fine set of pipes

Verb

The pipers piped while the drummers drummed.

The musician piped a tune.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Avery, the man who put the world’s economy on a knife-edge by plundering the flagship of Aurangzeb of India, possibly the richest person in the world, drew deeply on a pipe filled with Virginia’s finest tobacco. —Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024

There is nothing to whip or pipe so you will be left with very little washing-up to do. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024

Milwaukee has a combined sewage system in which both stormwater and wastewater from homes and businesses flow through the same pipes before it is treated. —Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024

Let cold water drip from the faucet connected to pipes that are exposed outdoors or in unheated interior areas. —Staff Reports, The Arizona Republic, 1 Apr. 2024

Electric heat cable, designed to keep cold-water pipes from freezing, might seem to be a better solution. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024

Internally, to keep a gaming laptop this small running effectively, Asus deployed seven copper heat pipes, a pair of its Arc Flow Fans 2.0, and an anti-dust tunnel plus a dust filter. —PCMAG, 27 Mar. 2024

The carving was broken, with the second fragment being shaped like a pipe. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2024

The interior was outfitted with mushroom leather, and the body was painted midnight blue, with L.E.D. lights in the now ornamental exhaust pipes. —Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024

Verb

Some of these noises are being piped directly into our ears (thank you, ear pods!), but others are a product of noise pollution. —Amy Paturel, WIRED, 24 Mar. 2024

The employee then piped some flowers made of frosting to top off the treat. —Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2024

Later, the other contestants also piped in about how Jeramey and Sarah Ann have had an off-and-on relationship since the show wrapped. —Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 14 Mar. 2024

SoCalGas first asked state regulators in fall of 2022 for permission to use electricity from the state’s grid to make a lower-carbon fuel blend that included hydrogen and to pipe that new blend into university dorms, offices and restaurants. —Brooke Staggs, Orange County Register, 13 Mar. 2024

Nelson Mandela, who reportedly piped her music through the PA system of Robben Island while he was incarcerated there. —Abbie Kozolchyk, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024

Water planning has been a major topic in Indiana in recent months, driven largely by concerns over the LEAP District project and plans to pipe millions of gallons of water dozens of miles for the manufacturing development. —Sarah Bowman, The Indianapolis Star, 23 Feb. 2024

Nigeria would pipe in wet gas at no cost to the company. —Jesse Barron, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2024

The cost of natural gas piped into the home by utilities such as PG&E plunged 12.9% in February over the one year. —George Avalos, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English pīpa (akin to Old High German pfīfa pipe), from Vulgar Latin *pipa pipe, from Latin pipare to peep, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing pipe

• organ pipe cactus
• pipe cleaner
• pipe clay
• pipe bomb
• peace pipe
• pipe fitter
• pipe fitting
• pipe dream
• pipe down
• pipe wrench
• put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it
• flue pipe
• Dutchman's-pipe
• pipe organ
• half-pipe
• reed pipe
• corncob pipe
• light pipe
• pipe stop
• lead-pipe
• tuning pipe
• Indian pipe
• pipe up
• soil pipe
• water pipe
• waste pipe
• pitch pipe
• briar pipe

Kids Definition

pipe

1 of 2 noun

ˈpīp 

1

a

: a musical instrument consisting of a tube of reed, wood, or metal that is played by blowing

b

: one of the tubes of a pipe organ

c

: bagpipe

—usually used in plural

d

: the whistle, call, or note especially of a bird or an insect

2

: a long tube or hollow body for carrying a substance (as water, steam, or gas)

3

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

4

: a large barrel used especially to hold oil or wine

pipe

2 of 2 verb

piped; piping

1

a

: to play on a pipe

b

: to receive on board or signal the departure of by the sounding of a boatswain's pipe

2

: to speak, call, or play with a high shrill tone

3

: to furnish or trim with piping

4

: to carry by or as if by pipes

pipe water

piper noun