Skip to main content
to pipe

to pipe

2 7.4
To sew a thin strip of fabric along the edge of cloth
  • verb
  • /paɪp/
  • Specialized
: ribetear
  • Pipe the top using the same rose pattern, starting on the outer row and working toward the center.
  • pipe a border
  • pipe decorations

Examples

  • Add some of the cheese mixture by piping evenly over the meat sauce, then scatter a few torn basil leaves on top.

    Blog text (20)
  • I recommend making the filling when the cupcakes are cooled and piping the filling immediately into the center of the cupcake and then frosting them.

    Blog text (2)
  • Take this white icing over here and you just pipe all the way around.

  • Fill in any gaps between roses on the cake with piped stars.

    Blog text (24)
  • Place caramel in a plastic bag and pipe straight lines horizontally across.

    Blog text (19)
  • I am piping chocolate onto the cookies and I'm doing sort of a fun zigzag design.

  • Then I piped the icing into petals all around.

    Blog text (2)
  • With a pastry bag in hand, she skillfully piped icing along the edges of the cake.

  • To add flair to the dessert, you can pipe whipped cream in decorative shapes on the pie.

  • He loves to pipe colorful frosting along the seams of his homemade cookies.

Idioms

Accept this fact even if you do not like it

Phrasal Verbs

to pipe down
  • Informal
31 7.1

To become quiet or tell someone to stop making noise

to pipe up
  • Informal
9 5.9

To start speaking suddenly, often loudly or in a high voice

6 3.9

Bring water, gas, or air into a place through pipes

to pipe in
  • Specialized
1 6.7

Send data into a program or service for processing

to pipe up
  • Informal
1 6.1

To start to play music or sing suddenly

to pipe the eye
  • Specialized
9.9

To put icing on a cake in an eye shape

Compounds

pipe dream
  • Informal
25 6.8

A hope or plan that is not likely to happen

pipe bomb
  • Offensive
23 5.9

A thing made inside a metal pipe that explodes to hurt people or damage things

water pipe
  • Specialized
17 1.0

A tube that carries water into a house or building

exhaust pipe
  • Specialized
8 3.2

A pipe that carries gas from the engine out the back of a car

peace pipe
  • Literature
6 6.8

A decorated pipe smoked in a special ceremony by some Native American groups to show peace or agreement

5 5.3

A large musical instrument that makes sound through many pipes and you play with keyboards and pedals

steam pipe
  • Specialized
5 3.9

A tube that carries hot steam under pressure

drilling pipe
  • Specialized
4 5.8

A set of connected metal tubes that carry force and mud from the platform to the cutting part underground

3 3.0

A thin bendable wire with soft material for cleaning a tobacco pipe or making simple crafts

pipe wrench
  • Specialized
2 3.7

A large adjustable tool with jaws that have teeth for gripping and turning pipes

1 5.1

A smoking device where smoke passes through water before you breathe it in

pipe fitter
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A worker who installs and repairs pipes that carry water, gas, or steam

1 3.2

A small tube with a bowl that you use to smoke tobacco

1 3.4

A person who smokes tobacco from a pipe

1 4.1

A tube in an organ that makes musical notes when air moves through it

riser pipe
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A vertical tube that carries water or gas up between floors in a building

1 4.4

A small pipe for smoking tobacco made from baked clay

1 5.3

A stand that holds tobacco pipes to store and show them

pipe cutter
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A small hand tool that cuts metal or plastic pipes cleanly

discharge pipe
  • Specialized
1 3.8

A pipe that carries water or waste away from a building

pipe fitting
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A small part with threads that connects two pipes

pitch pipe
  • Specialized
1 6.6

A small device that plays a musical note to help singers or musicians find the right starting note

1 3.0

A pipe that carries away dirty water from a sink or bath

1 6.5

The round open part of a smoking pipe that holds tobacco

1 9.1

A pipe for smoking tobacco made from the hard root of a shrub

reed pipe
  • Specialized
1 7.9

A pipe in an organ that makes sound when a thin metal strip vibrates, giving a bright tone

pipe clamp
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A tool that holds a pipe firmly while you cut or thread it

A small simple flute or pipe played by people who care for sheep

A climbing plant with large heart-shaped leaves and pipe-shaped flowers

pipe vine
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A tough climbing plant with large leaves and curved, pipe-like flowers

1 9.9

A small waxy white or pink plant in shady woods that does not use sunlight to make food

1 9.9

A small flute played with one hand while the other hand plays a drum

A smoking pipe with a curved stem and a large bowl made from a calabash gourd

1 9.0

A decorated smoking pipe used at special times to show peace or agreement

pipe vise
  • Specialized
1 8.2

A clamp that holds a pipe firmly while you cut or thread it

flue pipe
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A pipe in an organ that makes sound when air moves across a sharp edge

1 8.0

A person who leads a bagpipe band and arranges the music

soil pipe
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A pipe that carries waste water from toilets and sinks to the drain

A pipe on a bagpipe that makes a steady background low note

fipple pipe
  • Specialized
9.9

A small wind instrument like a recorder with a mouthpiece you blow into

labial pipe
  • Specialized
9.9

An organ pipe that makes sound when air passes a sharp edge

melody pipe
  • Specialized
7.9

A pipe with finger holes that plays the tune in a bagpipe or organ

A small wind instrument like a simple oboe used in French folk and classical music

pudding pipe tree
  • Australian
9.9

A tropical tree with hanging yellow flowers and pods whose soft inside is used as medicine

A traditional pipe used in ceremonies for shared smoking

9.9

An old clay pipe with a long stem for smoking, often from 17th or 18th century England

pandean pipe
  • Archaic
9.9

A set of pipes of different lengths tied together that you play by blowing across the tops

An action or remark that starts a conversation

sparge pipe
  • Specialized
9.9

A horizontal pipe with small holes that sprays water or other liquids evenly

How Decorative

to embellish
28 6.1
to ornament
4 3.7
to pipe
  • Specialized
2 7.4
trim
25 3.8

Surface Forms

pipe infinitive
piped past
piped past participle
piping present participle
pipes third person singular

Etymology

Pipe in sewing comes from the small cord or tube used to make a raised edge, often called 'piping', because it looks like a tiny pipe along the seam. So to pipe a garment is to add that tube-shaped trim to its edge.