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Definition of piston : A sliding piece which either is moved by, or moves against, fluid pressure. It usually consists of a short cylinder fitting within a cylindrical vessel along which it moves, back and forth. It is used in steam engines to receive motion from the steam, and in pumps to transmit motion to a fluid; also for other purposes.

Synonyms:

plunger, diver, disk, Walter Piston, device, ram, plumber's helper, speculator, sucker

cylinder, shock absorber, accelerator, headlights, hood, choke, spark plug, horn, differential, crankcase, bumper, windshield, gearshift, gear, connecting rod, bearings, distributor, dashboard, crankshaft, brake, glove compartment, camshaft, carburetor, generator, steering wheel, fan, chassis, ignition, clutch, taillights, odometer, radiator, transmission, manifold, gearbox, cowl, exhaust, muffler, speedometer, fender

Usage examples:

• In cases, however, in which the parts fitting the taper part require turning, it is better to finish the parallel part last, and to then turn up the work fastened upon the taper part while it is fast upon its place: thus, in the case of a piston rod and piston, were we to turn up the parallel part of the rod first and the taper last, and the centres altered during the last operation, when the piston head was placed upon the rod, and the latter was placed in the lathe, the plain part or stem would not run true, and we should require to true the centres to make the rod run true before turning up the piston head. - "Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II", Joshua Rose.
• And the hulking figure advanced on tiptoe, like a performing elephant, until just at the open door, when for a second we saw his left revolving like a piston and his head thrown back at its fighting angle. - "A Thief in the Night", E. W. Hornung.
• It follows, then, that, even if no other than the respiratory work were going on in the organism, the capital of work- stuff, which the child brought with it into the world, must sooner or later be used up, and the movements of breathing must come to an end; just as the see- saw of the piston of a steam- engine stops when the coal in the fireplace has burnt away. - "Aphorisms and Reflections from the works of T. H. Huxley", Thomas Henry Huxley.