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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penstock
Noun
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The Japanese rider packed multiple four-rotation tricks into a single run, including the triple-flip aerial that electrified the crowd, executing them in different directions down the pipe without sacrificing height.—
Rick Maese,
Washington Post,
13 Feb. 2026
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The three-time gold medalist took a ride on the half pipe at this year's games, wiping tears from his eyes before catching air.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Beneath the deck, or roadway surface, the structure carries sewer, water and recycled water pipelines and conduits for electrical and fiber optic cables.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Finally, there is a need to reimagine our school-industry relationships, a key conduit for advancing AI in our education systems.—
Jerel Ezell,
Fortune,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Subsequent study, however, revealed it was composed of interwoven tubes, rather than the block-like cells that make up plant tissue.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
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Rods of the alloy were precision-machined to produce thin-walled tubes with a complex inner structure designed to maximize heat exchange.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Andy Yung, fisheries supervisor at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission's Hot Springs office, said stripers sometimes hunt around brushpiles that are located near channels.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
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Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated his country's first-ever Winter Olympics medal on his social media channels.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Penstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penstock. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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