noun
cylinder
SIH-lihn-duh
noun
1
A solid or hollow object with straight parallel sides and a circular cross-section, like a tube or a can.
"The candle was shaped like a perfect cylinder."
"Water was stored in a large steel cylinder behind the house."
2
The chamber in an engine in which a piston moves back and forth.
"The car's engine has four cylinders."
3
A container shaped like a tube used to hold pressurized gas.
"The diver checked his oxygen cylinder before entering the water."
How to Use Cylinder
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tube-shaped object or space — from a gas canister to the chamber inside a car engine.
Common pairings
gas cylinder
engine cylinder
firing on all cylinders
Word Forms
cylindered past tense, cylinders plural, cylinders singular
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The candle was shaped like a perfect _____.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek kulindros, from kulindo ("I roll"), via Latin cylindrus and Middle French cylindre.