pylon

noun py·lon \ ˈpī-ˌlän , -lən \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Examples: pylon in a Sentence

Definition of pylon

1 a : a usually massive gateway

b : an ancient Egyptian gateway building in a truncated pyramidal form

c : a monumental mass flanking an entranceway or an approach to a bridge

2 a chiefly British : a tower for supporting either end of usually a number of wires over a long span

b : any of various towerlike structures

3 a : a post or tower marking a prescribed course of flight for an airplane

b : traffic cone

c : one of the flexible upright markers positioned on a football field at the corners of the end zone

4 : a rigid structure on the outside of an aircraft for supporting something (such as an engine or missile) — see airplane illustration

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Examples of pylon in a Sentence

The bridge is supported by concrete pylons.
a row of electricity pylons

Recent Examples of pylon from the Web

The current pylons on the B-52H heavy strategic bomber are the original ones designed into the plane in the late 1950s and rated only to 5,000 pound bombs.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "B-52 Bombers Could Quadruple Their Wing Bomb Loads," 25 June 2018
The Raiders cut Hackenberg last week, three weeks after the Jets traded him for not much more than a bag of pylons.

— albert breer, SI.com, "For Andrew Luck, It All Re-Starts Here," 18 June 2018
Bell-Boeing designed a special pylon on the side of the aircraft to ensure common weapons carriage.

— kris osborn, Fox News, "Marine Corps arms Osprey with rockets and missiles - adds assault missions," 6 July 2018
All left neatly on a concrete pylon at the edge of the bridge that carries North Street over the Pike.

— mark arsenault, BostonGlobe.com, "Secrets of a Lost Girl," 24 June 2018
Kenneth Toler was taken to the hospital after a round ricocheted off a concrete pylon and struck him in the leg, Simken said.

— ryan gillespie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Eustis man killed outside auto business made 'Holy Trinity' before raising gun toward police, officials say," 14 June 2018
The segment that failed had been placed atop the pylon's footing, and the taller tower section was to be installed later.

— CBS News, "Florida bridge collapse: Design change put project behind schedule, millions over budget," 20 Mar. 2018
The segment that failed had been placed atop the pylon's footing, and the taller tower section was to be installed later.

— jason dearen and jennifer kay, chicagotribune.com, "Documents: Key design change stymied bridge cost, schedule," 20 Mar. 2018
The grant approved by aldermen on Tuesday calls for the city to cover 33 percent of façade improvements and 50 percent of monument sign improvements that would replace pylon signs that don’t conform to city code.

— gregory tejeda, Daily Southtown, "Oak Forest to spend nearly $100k to help fix 'eyesore' strip mall on 159th Street," 13 June 2018

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

Illustration of pylon

Origin and Etymology of pylon

Greek pylōn, from pylē gate

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1817

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Archaeology Terms

Attic, Byzantine, Paleolithic, cairn, core, flint, horizon, neolithic, shard, stratum

PYLON Defined for English Language Learners

pylon

noun

Definition of pylon for English Language Learners

: a tall tower or similar structure
: a tall, metal structure that is part of a series of structures supporting a long stretch of electrical wire
American football : one of the upright markers that are positioned at the corners of the end zone