cylinder
noun
cyl·​in·​der
| \ ˈsi-lən-dər
\
\
Definition of cylinder
1a
: the surface traced by a straight line moving parallel to a fixed straight line and intersecting a fixed planar closed curve
b
: a solid or surface bounded by a cylinder and two parallel planes cutting all its elements
especially
: right circular cylinder — see Volume Formulas Table
2
: a cylindrical body or space: such as
a
: the turning chambered breech of a revolver
b(1)
: the piston chamber in an engine
(2)
: a chamber in a pump from which the piston expels the fluid
c
: any of various rotating members in a press (such as a printing press)
especially
: one that impresses paper on an inked form
d
: a cylindrical clay object inscribed with cuneiform inscriptions
on all cylinders
: with maximum effort or intensity : at full capacity or speed
the economy is running on all cylinders
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Other Words from cylinder
cylindered
\ ˈsi-​lən-​dərd
\
adjective
\
adjective
Examples of cylinder in a Sentence
the cylinder of a revolver
Recent Examples on the Web
With Moreira and the rest of the defense stepping up, and the attack firing on all cylinders, the Timbers were finally able to move about the red line into playoff position last week. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive.com, "Jorge Moreira developing into crucial piece on Portland Timbers’ backline," 1 Aug. 2019 As for the offense, the Coyotes seemed to be firing on all cylinders by finding the end zone twice in the first eight minutes of the game. — Danny Shapiro, azcentral, "Arizona high school football: Key Week 1 game roundups," 23 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cylinder.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cylinder
cylinder
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cylinder
: a shape that has straight sides and two circular ends
: a tube in which a piston of an engine moves
: the part of a gun that turns and that holds the bullets
See the full definition for cylinder in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cylinder
noun
cyl·​in·​der
| \ ˈsi-lən-dər
\
\
Kids Definition of cylinder
: a long round body whether hollow or solid
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