pipe

1 of 2

noun

ˈpīp 

plural pipes

1

a

: a tubular wind instrument

specifically : a small fipple flute held in and played by the left hand

b

: one of the tubes of a pipe organ:

(1)

: flue pipe

(2)

: reed pipe

c

: bagpipe

—usually used in plural

d(1)

pipes : vocal cords, voice

… the actress famously showed off her pipes with the emotional ballad "There Are Worse Things I Could Do."

—Sophie Dodd

a singer with a great set of pipes

(2)

: piping sense 1

2

a

: a long tube or hollow body for conducting a liquid, gas, or finely divided solid or for structural purposes

b

: a means of transmission (as of television signals or computer data)

a broadband fiber-optic pipe

3

a

: a tubular or cylindrical object, part, or passage

b

: a roughly cylindrical and vertical geologic formation

c

: the eruptive channel opening into the crater of a volcano

4

a

: a large cask of varying capacity used especially for wine and oil

b

: any of various units of liquid capacity based on the size of a pipe

especially : a unit equal to two hogsheads

5

: a device for smoking usually consisting of a tube having a bowl at one end and a mouthpiece at the other

6

: snap sense 2c, cinch

pipeful

ˈpīp-ˌfu̇l 

noun

pipeless

ˈpīp-ləs 

adjective

pipelike

ˈpīp-ˌlīk 

adjective

pipe

2 of 2

verb

piped; piping

intransitive verb

1

a

: to play on a pipe

b

: to convey orders by signals on a boatswain's pipe

2

a

: to speak in a high or shrill voice

b

: to emit a shrill sound

transitive verb

1

a

: to play (a tune) on a pipe

b

: to utter in the shrill tone of a pipe

2

a

: to lead or cause to go with pipe music

b(1)

: to call or direct by the boatswain's pipe

(2)

: to receive aboard or attend the departure of by sounding a boatswain's pipe

3

: to trim with piping

4

: to place (batter, frosting, etc.) on a surface by pressing or squeezing through a bag or tube fitted with a special nozzle

Pipe frosting over each frozen ice cream mound to cover.

—Emily Young

also : to create (a decoration or pattern) by this method

Pipe a rosette of whipped cream on top.

—Elizabeth Craig

5

: to furnish or equip with pipes

6

: to convey by or as if by pipes

especially : to transmit by wire or coaxial cable

7

: notice

Synonyms

Noun

• channel
• conduit
• duct
• leader
• line
• penstock
• trough
• tube

Verb

• canalize
• channel
• channelize
• conduct
• direct
• funnel
• siphon
• syphon

Examples of pipe in a Sentence

Noun

He has the pipes to sing on Broadway.

a singer with a fine set of pipes

Verb

The pipers piped while the drummers drummed.

The musician piped a tune.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Once these pipes get four or five feet deep, the temperature stays fairly stable throughout the year, so the dirt is warmer than outdoor air during the winter and cooler than it in the summer. —WIRED, 17 Nov. 2023

To meet that demand, private companies producing sugar (and, later, pineapples) rerouted the flow from Maui’s watersheds, building concrete ditches, tunnels, pipes, flumes, siphons, and trestles across the island. —Carolyn Kormann, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023

Utilities that exceed the action level could be forced to replace lead pipes. —Michael Phillis and Mike Stobbe The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2023

For metal pipes, excessive use can cause pipes to corrode and, in extreme cases, cause holes to develop. —Tanya Edwards, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Oct. 2023

Mario, on the other hand, is on an isekai adventure and barely knows his head from his pipe. —WIRED, 9 Nov. 2023

The very first winner was hip-hop artist T-Pain, who left his trademark Auto-Tune behind to show off his pipes au naturel. —Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 Nov. 2023

The goal is to seal any exterior openings and close any pipes that might freeze when met with frosty temps. —Abby Wilson, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Nov. 2023

His two hundred or so paintings consist of a strict diet of burgomasters, brewers, pipe smokers, regents, street urchins, people holding various things in their hands (donkey’s jawbone, stretched pig’s bladder), and hundreds of Dutch heads plattered on flat linen collars and millstone ruffs. —Zachary Fine, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023

Verb

To make the webs, simply pipe four to five concentric circles on each brownie with white frosting, then drag several lines with a wooden toothpick through the frosting, starting at the smallest center circle. —People Staff, Peoplemag, 31 Oct. 2023

Water from the Bull Run River – which mostly comes from rainfall – is diverted by dams to two reservoirs in the forest, then treated and piped to Portland and other cities. —Gwozniac, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023

Climate and environment Arrowhead bottled water company sues to continue piping from California forest. —Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2023

The intense humidity didn’t deter the locals from eating bowls of piping hot phở on every street corner, and tiny food stalls selling bánh mì and bún chả lined every block. —Sophie Mendel, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2023

The Coravin’s needle pushes through the cork of even the most precious wine bottle, injects argon gas to displace oxygen and allows wine to be piped out. —Hannah Selinger, wsj.com, 29 Sep. 2023

Instead, they were cloistered in a separate room, as her testimony piped in by speakerphone. —Vimal Patel, New York Times, 17 Sep. 2023

The Razorbacks have been practicing with a soundtrack of massive crowd noise piped in to prepare for their first road game. —Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2023

Instead, they were cloistered in a separate room as her testimony piped in by speakerphone. —Vimal Patel, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English pīpa (akin to Old High German pfīfa pipe), from Vulgar Latin *pipa pipe, from Latin pipare to peep, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing pipe

• corncob pipe
• briar pipe
• Dutchman's-pipe
• half-pipe
• flue pipe
• Indian pipe
• light pipe
• lead-pipe
• peace pipe
• pipe bomb
• organ pipe cactus
• tuning pipe
• pipe down
• pipe clay
• soil pipe
• pipe cleaner
• waste pipe
• water pipe
• pipe fitting
• pipe fitter
• pipe dream
• pipe organ
• pipe wrench
• pitch pipe
• pipe up
• pipe stop
• reed pipe
• put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it

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• corncob pipe
• briar pipe
• Dutchman's-pipe
• half-pipe
• flue pipe
• Indian pipe
• light pipe
• lead-pipe
• peace pipe
• pipe bomb
• organ pipe cactus
• tuning pipe
• pipe down
• pipe clay
• soil pipe
• pipe cleaner
• waste pipe
• water pipe
• pipe fitting
• pipe fitter
• pipe dream
• pipe organ
• pipe wrench
• pitch pipe
• pipe up
• pipe stop
• reed pipe
• put/stick that in your pipe and smoke it

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Kids Definition

pipe

1 of 2 noun

ˈpīp 

1

a

: a musical instrument consisting of a tube of reed, wood, or metal that is played by blowing

b

: one of the tubes of a pipe organ

c

: bagpipe

—usually used in plural

d

: the whistle, call, or note especially of a bird or an insect

2

: a long tube or hollow body for carrying a substance (as water, steam, or gas)

3

: a tube with a small bowl at one end used for smoking tobacco

4

: a large barrel used especially to hold oil or wine

pipe

2 of 2 verb

piped; piping

1

a

: to play on a pipe

b

: to receive on board or signal the departure of by the sounding of a boatswain's pipe

2

: to speak, call, or play with a high shrill tone

3

: to furnish or trim with piping

4

: to carry by or as if by pipes

pipe water

piper noun