as in pipe
a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas)
a penstock carried water for the waterwheel
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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
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Ignoring more complex science leaves us with hundreds of years of neurologic damage to our children by leaving lead pipe in the ground.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
19 Oct. 2025
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Once the pump switches on, the water should drain quickly through the discharge pipe.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Knives were reportedly being stored between an electrical conduit and a wall covering.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Oct. 2025
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Once a cushioned conduit to the other side, the casket now bursts with the wisdom of a life lived outside the box.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Nicklaus team taught the parents how to care for Katy at home, including crushing her pills and gingerly placing them in her feeding tube.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mud tunnels, or shelter tubes, about the width of a straw, on the foundation, floor joists, and other parts of the house are signs of a colony.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Under Massimiliano Allegri, Pulisic now operates closer to goal in a narrower, inside-channel role — drifting between the lines as a second striker or advanced No 10.—
Sukhman Singh,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
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In that same poem, Serros ends with her tía asking her to change the channel to As The World Turns.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penstock. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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