piano

adverb or adjective

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pi·a·no | \ pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō

Definition of piano

(Entry 1 of 3)

: at a soft volume : soft —used as a direction in music

piano

noun

pi·ano | \ pē-ˈa-(ˌ)nō

also -ˈä-

plural pianos

Definition of piano (Entry 2 of 3)

: a musical instrument having steel wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard

Piano

biographical name

Pi·a·no | \ pē-ˈä-(ˌ)nō

Definition of Piano (Entry 3 of 3)

Renzo 1937– Italian architect

Examples of piano in a Sentence

Noun Do you play the piano? He takes piano lessons on Wednesdays.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Juli’s daughter honed her piano-playing skills and learned how to sew. — Washington Post, "How parents can help tweens develop their creative muscles, during the pandemic and beyond," 4 May 2021 Charles began playing piano at the age of five, growing up a block away from the counterculture mecca of Laurel Canyon. — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, "Pearl Charles Goes Into the Mystic," 27 Apr. 2021 In addition to her talents in business and sports, Flury studied and enjoyed playing the piano. — Wayne K. Roustan, sun-sentinel.com, "Patricia Flury, former mayor of Dania Beach, dies at 84," 10 Apr. 2021 By 18, Levine became the first piano-conducting double major ever at the Juilliard School in New York City. — NBC News, "James Levine, who ruled over Met Opera, dead at age 77," 17 Mar. 2021 Two piano-playing brothers hire an attractive singer to spice up their failing cocktail lounge act. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘The Searchers’; ‘Forrest Gump’," 12 Mar. 2021 Their father sang in church choirs in the Annapolis area and taught the siblings how to play the piano, according to relatives and friends. — Washington Post, "Beloved Maryland musician and teacher is killed in crash on Easter," 5 Apr. 2021 William Wolfram brought virtuosity to the solo piano part, but his touch was often too heavy, especially in rapid runs, and phrases called for more direction. — Tim Diovanni, Dallas News, "Review: Spirited Gershwin from the Dallas Symphony and guest conductor Andrew Grams," 20 Mar. 2021 The opening—and title—track, introduced in 1959 by Dinah Washington, perfectly encapsulates the current pandemic moment, especially as begun by an intriguingly spare piano part from the brilliant Emmet Cohen, who’s usually more of a maximalist. — Will Friedwald, WSJ, "‘This Bitter Earth’ by Veronica Swift Review: Dysfunction, Danger and Dependency," 16 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'piano.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for piano

Adverb or adjective

Italian, from Late Latin planus smooth, from Latin, level — more at floor

Noun

Italian, short for pianoforte, from gravicembalo col piano e forte, literally, harpsichord with soft and loud; from the fact that its tones could be varied in loudness

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More Definitions for piano

piano

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of piano

(Entry 1 of 2)

music : quietly or softly

piano

noun

English Language Learners Definition of piano (Entry 2 of 2)

: a large musical instrument with a keyboard that you play by pressing black and white keys and that produces sound when small hammers inside the piano hit steel wires

See the full definition for piano in the English Language Learners Dictionary

piano

noun

pi·a·no | \ pē-ˈa-nō

plural pianos