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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of penstock
That plate sealed the opening of the penstock (water delivery tube) and holds back water from the reservoir.
—
Logan Smith, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the water agency, the failure involved a 15-foot-diameter section of penstock pipe between a butterfly valve and a concrete thrust block before the pipe extended down a steep hillside to the powerhouse.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Water floods down each penstock at 100 cubic metres per second.
—Chris Baraniuk, Wired News, 18 Dec. 2025
Species stocked in Lake Powell for sporting purposes swam the reservoir for decades without creating a clear threat to the river below until the warm surface water sank nearer the hydropower intakes, called penstocks.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 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
River water entered the powerhouse and fell down a system of 140-foot vertical pipes, called penstocks, one for each generator.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
Logan Smith, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
According to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the water agency, the failure involved a 15-foot-diameter section of penstock pipe between a butterfly valve and a concrete thrust block before the pipe extended down a steep hillside to the powerhouse.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Water floods down each penstock at 100 cubic metres per second.
—Chris Baraniuk, Wired News, 18 Dec. 2025
Species stocked in Lake Powell for sporting purposes swam the reservoir for decades without creating a clear threat to the river below until the warm surface water sank nearer the hydropower intakes, called penstocks.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 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
River water entered the powerhouse and fell down a system of 140-foot vertical pipes, called penstocks, one for each generator.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penstock
Noun
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On March 16, the drainage system was inspected with the help of cameras to see the pipe’s interior.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
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Lead, a heavy metal once common in products like pipes and paints, is a neurotoxin that can stunt children’s development, lower IQ scores and increase blood pressure in adults, according to the Associated Press.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The same claim is made about private investigator Weisberg, who was a key conduit for the 2019 agreement.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
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Shakti facilitates such serendipitous interactions with the help of their excellent and informed guides who are conduits to the mountain culture.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Glass tubes coated with copper-oxide catalysts feed the methane gas needed for the reaction.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Apr. 2026
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The meters use electrical conductivity or tensiometer tubes that measure the suction exerted by the soil on the water, which indicates the soil moisture available to plants.—
Mary Marlowe Leverette,
Southern Living,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lengthening the turning basin, and widening the channel bend near the East Breakwater from 560 feet to 800 feet.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
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Some employees posed similar questions in the thread, while others criticized them for discussing what could be considered classified information in a Slack channel open to the entire company.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penstock. Accessed 30 Apr. 2026.
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