as in pipe
a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas)
a penstock carried water for the waterwheel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penstock
Provide point protection for Balch Camp PG&E hydro-electric and residential facilities, two powerhouses, Balch communication reflector, penstock and valve houses, and associated power distribution lines.
—
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, presented a diagram showing the dam’s eight large tubes, called penstocks, that water normally passes through, as well as the smaller outlet pipes that enable water releases at low reservoir levels.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The penstock flows powered the turbines that turned shafts activating the top-side generators.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The reservoir can also be lowered by discharges through the dam’s power plant, but one of the two power plant outlets, known as penstocks, was shut down for routine maintenance of turbines.
—Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, 10 May 2017
Equipment: An intake gate called a penstock, valves and pressure gauges, turbine, switchgear, inverter, and electronics.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2017
Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, presented a diagram showing the dam’s eight large tubes, called penstocks, that water normally passes through, as well as the smaller outlet pipes that enable water releases at low reservoir levels.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
The penstock flows powered the turbines that turned shafts activating the top-side generators.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The reservoir can also be lowered by discharges through the dam’s power plant, but one of the two power plant outlets, known as penstocks, was shut down for routine maintenance of turbines.
—Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, 10 May 2017
Equipment: An intake gate called a penstock, valves and pressure gauges, turbine, switchgear, inverter, and electronics.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penstock
Noun
-
Spread or pipe whipped cream on top.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Lo then bludgeons Richard in the head with a metal pipe and kills him.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Only the means, the conduits of misinformation, and the overall enshittification have changed.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Gilmour’s set—simultaneously a gesture to Fascist architecture, a conduit to nowhere, and a scatological joke—shores up the production in several ways.—
Helen Shaw,
New Yorker,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Holloway Road tube relies on a couple of old elevators to get up and down from the platform and the entrance is on a major road, so there is no obvious place for passengers to queue outside.—
Amy Lawrence,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
For instance, Eucrisa, a drug prescribed to approximately a million American patients with eczema at almost $1,000 a tube, will be offered to Americans at an 80 percent discount—bringing the price under $200.—
Bobby Jindal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Head of the academy Kris Durham had spotted him during a one-on-one tournament at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the channel of Donald De La Haye, known as Deestroying, who has more than six million subscribers and posts American football videos.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
-
What Happens Next Regional NWS branches issue regular local forecast updates on the agency’s website and social media channels.—
Joe Edwards,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penstock. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share