pylon

noun

py·lon | \ ˈpī-ˌlän

, -lən\

Definition of pylon

1a : 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

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

b : any of various towerlike structures

3a : 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

Examples of pylon in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

At first these were moveable spoilers, but in 1966 the Chaparral 2E showed up with a honking great wing mounted on pylons high above the rear deck, and the racing world was changed forever. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "How a day driving high-downforce cars at VIR taught me I’m OK being slow," 11 Sep. 2018 The Air Force is pursuing the Arrow and Hacksaw hypersonic weapons programs, and a large, lumbering aircraft with plenty of external weapons pylons like the B-52 is perfect for the role. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "How B-52 Bombers Will Fly Until the 2050s," 10 Sep. 2018 Alas, the Model 3’s minimalist interior is rudely interrupted by the aforementioned touch screen, a big tablet suspended on a pylon in the middle of the dash. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "First Test Drive of the Tesla Model 3 Performance: A Thrilling, Modern Marvel," 19 July 2018 An armed attack helicopter version of Defiant would probably be fitted with pylons for the Joint Air-Ground Missile, the new replacement for the aging Hellfire missile. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "Potential Blackhawk Replacement Starts Ground Tests," 2 Feb. 2019 The segment that failed had been placed atop the pylon’s footing, and the taller tower section was to be installed later. — Washington Post, "Documents: Major design change changed bridge cost, schedule," 21 Mar. 2018 The span's signature, 109-foot-tall pylon was to be built atop a base at the span's northern end. — Jason Dearen And Jennifer Kay, chicagotribune.com, "Documents: Key design change stymied bridge cost, schedule," 20 Mar. 2018 Manziel impressed again in the second quarter, rushing for ten yards and diving for the pylon to put his team up 14-7. — SI.com, "Watch: Johnny Manziel Scores Two Touchdowns in Second Spring League Game," 12 Apr. 2018 The segment that failed had been placed atop the pylon’s footing, and the taller tower section was to be installed later. — Washington Post, "Documents: Major design change changed bridge cost, schedule," 21 Mar. 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.