pipe Definition
pipe (pīp)
noun
- a hollow cylinder or cone, as of reed, straw, wood, or metal, in which air vibrates to produce a musical sound, as in an organ or wind instrument
- any wind instrument; specif.,
- bagpipe
- a small medieval fipple flute played with the left hand while the right hand beats a tabor
- a small, shrill whistle, used by a boatswain as in conveying orders to a ship's crew
- a high, shrill sound, as of a voice, birdcall, etc.
- the vocal organs, esp. as used in singing
- a long tube of clay, concrete, metal, plastic, etc., for conveying water, gas, oil, etc. or for use in construction
- a tubular organ or canal of the body
- the respiratory organs
- a somewhat cylindrical deposit of ore
- an opening into a volcano's crater
- anything tubular in form
- a tube with a small bowl at one end, in which tobacco, etc. is smoked
- enough tobacco, etc. to fill such a bowl
- a large cask for wine, oil, etc., having a capacity of about two hogsheads, or 126 gallons
- this volume as a unit of measure
- ☆ Slang something regarded as easy to accomplish
Etymology: ME < OE < WGmc *pipa < VL *pipa < L pipare, to cheep, chirp, peep, of echoic orig.
intransitive verb piped, pip′·ing
- to play on a pipe
- to utter shrill, reedy sounds or tones
- Metallurgy to develop longitudinal cavities, as steel sometimes does in ingots and castings during solidification
- Naut. to signal a ship's crew by sounding a boatswain's pipe
transitive verb
- to play (a tune, etc.) on a pipe
- to utter in a shrill, reedy voice or tone
- to affect or bring to some condition or place by or as by playing pipes to pipe the clan to battle
- ☆ to convey (water, gas, oil, etc.) by means of pipes
- ☆ to provide with pipes
- to trim (a dress, etc.) with piping
- to squeeze (icing, dough, or other soft or puréed food) from a pastry bag
- Slang to look at or notice
- Naut. to call together or alert (the crew), make (a specified call), or signal the arrival aboard or the departure of (someone) by sounding a boatswain's pipe
pipe Idioms
pipe down
☆ Slang to become quiet or quieter; stop shouting, talking, etc.
pipe in
to convey (esp. transcribed or remote music or speech) by an electric or electronic system
pipe up
- to begin to play or sing (music)
- to speak up or say, esp. in a piping voice
pipe Synonyms
pipe
n.
A tube
pipeline, drain pipe, sewer, waterpipe, aqueduct, trough, passage, duct, cloaca, tubular runway, canal, vessel; see also channel 1, conduit, tube 1.A device for smoking
nosewarmer*, hayburner*, hod*, boiler*, smokestack*. * Varieties of smoking pipes include: meerschaum, corncob (also: Missouri meerschaum*); bulldog, brier, clay, churchwarden, narghile, hookah, Turkish, hubble-bubble, opium, calabash, calumet, peace pipe, water pipe, hashish pipe, hash pipe*.
A musical instrument
wind instrument, flageolet, piccolo; see flute, musical instrument.
pipe Telecom Definition
- A circuit, in the vernacular, as in a broadband pipe. See also circuit.
- A coaxial cable configuration. See also coaxial cable.
- A cable conduit or ductwork. See also conduit.
- A waveguide for microwave transmission. See also waveguide.
pipe Usage Examples
Converse of object
- leak: The floor was covered in about an inch of water but there was no sign of leaking pipes.
- insulate: For systems without a tank stat, it is vital to insulate the pipes adjacent to the tank that feed the heating coil.
- smoke: Bad enough with him smoking that pipe of his.
- bury: But the rivalries are interrupted: in the exact place where Zöllner is buried, new pipes are to be laid.
- lay: There are 16 miles of pipes laid in the concrete under the ice.
Adjective modifier
- perforated: Concealed perforated pipes hidden below the water line would have spewed gasoline and then the floating fuel would have been ignited.
- underground: I imagined they were responding to some report of a blocked drain, by sucking out the underground pipes along the road.
- plastic: You can even install special plastic pipe in solid floors to provide under floor heating.
- frozen: Gordon also mentions that frozen water supply pipes were a problem.
- 22mm: A piece of 22mm copper pipe is inserted into this hole as a sleeve.
Modifies a noun
- organ: Billy couldn't take a pipe organ with him, in fact he didn't own one.
- cleaner: The best pipe cleaner craft book I've been able to find.
- dream: Talk of shaping Europes policy is just a pipe dream.
- insulation: The opportunity to update existing heating controls should never be missed along with increasing pipe insulation.
Noun used with modifier
- exhaust: These chrome trims are either straight, to lengthen the exhaust pipe, or a shrouded fan shape to deflect the gases downwards.
- clay: A number of clay pipes are among the finds.
- flue: Like the great, the sixteen top notes of the clarion are composed of flue pipes.
- hose: We are building two planters out of breeze block with lengths of hose pipe between the mortar joints.
- outfall: A new sea outfall pipe is to be sited north of the town.
- burst: I would have hoped your tenants would be sensible enough not to want burst pipes damaging their goods.
Browse dictionary entries near pipe
- pipe bomb ›
- pipe clay ›
- pipe cleaner ›
- pipe cutter ›
- pipe down ›
- pipe dream ›
- pipe fitter ›
- pipe fitting ›
- pipe of peace ›
- pipe organ ›

