PIANO Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com (original) (raw)

[pee-an-oh, pyan-oh] / piˈæn oʊ, ˈpyæn oʊ /

noun

a musical instrument in which felt-covered hammers, operated from a keyboard, strike the metal strings.

piano 2 American

[pee-ah-noh, pyah-naw] / piˈɑ noʊ, ˈpyɑ nɔ /

piano 1 British

/ pɪˈænəʊ /

noun

a musical stringed instrument resembling a harp set in a vertical or horizontal frame, played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike the strings and produce audible vibrations See also grand piano upright piano

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Piano 2 British

/ pjˈɑno /

noun

Renzo. born 1937, Italian architect; buildings include the Pompidou Centre, Paris (1977; with Richard Rogers), the Potsdamer Platz redevelopment, Berlin (1998), and The Shard, London (2012)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

piano 3 British

/ ˈpjɑːnəʊ /

adjective

p. music (to be performed) softly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

A musical direction meaning “to be performed softly”; the opposite of forte. As the name of a musical instrument, it is short for pianoforte.

Etymology

Origin of piano1

First recorded in 1795–1805; short for pianoforte

Origin of piano2

1675–85; < Italian: soft, low (of sounds), plain, flat < Latin plānus plain 1

Explanation

A piano is a large musical instrument that you play by pressing black and white keys on a keyboard. Most people play a piano with their fingers, but Jerry Lee Lewis played with his fingers, feet, elbows, and, ahem, backside. A piano makes a sound when each key moves a small hammer that strikes a metal string. The inside of a piano looks kind of like a harp. Pianos are vital in many kinds of music, from classical to pop, and in the case of Lewis, boogie-woogie. Piano comes from the original Italian name for the instrument: piano e forte, "soft and loud." Piano is also the musical notation that tells the player that something should be played quietly.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The main space is filled with musical instruments, a Buddha statue, a Yoda doll, a skull, and glam platform boots perched atop a piano.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

He insists he can’t watch the baby during the day because he has to practice his “precious” piano.

FromMarketWatch • May 4, 2026

Rodrigo then played at a piano a take of her first hit single “drivers license,” focused on getting a Real ID at the DMV and all that it requires.

FromLos Angeles Times • May 3, 2026

His playing garnered praise, especially in St. Petersburg; he became so popular there that a soirée simply wasn’t a soirée without Field at the piano.

FromThe Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026

As I poured him a cup of tea in our finest china, Joylette played the piano.

From"Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023