as in pipe
a long hollow cylinder for carrying a substance (as a liquid or gas)
a penstock carried water for the waterwheel
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of penstock
Brenda Burman, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, presented a diagram showing the dam’s eight large tubes, called penstocks, that water normally passes through, as well as the smaller outlet pipes that enable water releases at low reservoir levels.
—
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
River water entered the powerhouse and fell down a system of 140-foot vertical pipes, called penstocks, one for each generator.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The penstock flows powered the turbines that turned shafts activating the top-side generators.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The reservoir can also be lowered by discharges through the dam’s power plant, but one of the two power plant outlets, known as penstocks, was shut down for routine maintenance of turbines.
—Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, 10 May 2017
Equipment: An intake gate called a penstock, valves and pressure gauges, turbine, switchgear, inverter, and electronics.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2017
Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
River water entered the powerhouse and fell down a system of 140-foot vertical pipes, called penstocks, one for each generator.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The penstock flows powered the turbines that turned shafts activating the top-side generators.
—Charles R. Morris, WSJ, 21 June 2018
The reservoir can also be lowered by discharges through the dam’s power plant, but one of the two power plant outlets, known as penstocks, was shut down for routine maintenance of turbines.
—Ralph Vartabedian, latimes.com, 10 May 2017
Equipment: An intake gate called a penstock, valves and pressure gauges, turbine, switchgear, inverter, and electronics.
—Popular Mechanics Editors, Popular Mechanics, 6 Feb. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for penstock
Noun
-
Two men assembled a dredge from a PVC pipe and a household grease trap.—
Julian Lucas,
The New Yorker,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Continuous megawatt power millimeter-waves can also be efficiently (>90 percent) guided to great distances (>10 km) using a variety of modes and waveguide (pipes) systems, including the potential of using smooth bore coiled and jointed/ joined tubing.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
When Shams Charania, the ESPN reporter who is the usual conduit for this sort of news, first posted the deal on X, the general assumption was that he’d been hacked.—
Louisa Thomas,
The New Yorker,
16 Feb. 2025
-
For emerging sports like padel, celebrities can be a critical conduit for reaching both new participants and new viewers.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Check this out 🇬🇧 Tunnel vision: A mile-long series of secret World War II tunnels under a tube station in London will be turned into a major tourist attraction.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The pope is receiving what is known as high-flow oxygen by nasal cannula (a device that provides extra oxygen through a tube and into the nose), which can vary in oxygen percentage.—
Dr. Marc Siegel Fox News,
Fox News,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Our primary goal is to establish a comprehensive rights framework that ensures early availability through all ZDF distribution channels while maintaining exclusivity.—
Annika Pham,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2025
-
When Manchester City were able to progress the ball down Liverpool’s inside right and left channels, Van Dijk and Konate were able to cover each other.—
Andy Jones,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Penstock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/penstock. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share