pylon

noun

py·​lon ˈpī-ˌlän 

-lən

1

a

: a usually massive gateway

b

: an ancient Egyptian gateway building in a truncated pyramidal form

c

: a monumental mass flanking an entranceway or an approach to a bridge

2

a

chiefly British : a tower for supporting either end of usually a number of wires over a long span

b

: any of various towerlike structures

3

a

: a post or tower marking a prescribed course of flight for an airplane

b

: traffic cone

c

: one of the flexible upright markers positioned on a football field at the corners of the end zone

4

: a rigid structure on the outside of an aircraft for supporting something (such as an engine or missile) see airplane illustration

Illustration of pylon

• pylon 1b

Examples of pylon in a Sentence

The bridge is supported by concrete pylons.

a row of electricity pylons

Recent Examples on the Web

This means that the cables supporting the roadway are anchored in towering twin pylons, rather than on shore as in a common suspension bridge. —Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 May 2025

And there, peeping through the trees, stood a solitary floodlight pylon. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Somehow, Milton musters up the arm strength to fire the ball on a rope straight down the white line and pin the ball on his receiver’s chest on the front pylon. —Derrik Klassen, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025

Up those poles and on those pylons, a revolution is brewing: Carbon fiber conductors are replacing traditional steel cores around which the aluminum conductor is wound. —Llewellyn King, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Greek pylōn, from pylē gate

First Known Use

1817, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for pylon

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon

Kids Definition

pylon

noun

py·​lon ˈpī-ˌlän 

-lən

1

: a tower for supporting a long span of wire

also : any of various structures like a tower

2

: a post or tower marking a prescribed course of flight for an airplane

Medical Definition

pylon

noun

py·​lon ˈpī-ˌlän  -lən 

: a simple temporary artificial leg