Meaning & use
cylinders
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“cylinders” is a form of “cylinder”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountablemathematics
Solid or hollow shapes with straight sides and two equal flat circular ends, like a tin can or a pipe.
Grammar: Plural of cylinder, used for shapes: the cylinders were stacked on the shelf.
Patterns
- cylinders of something
Students measured the volume of several metal cylinders in the physics lab.
The sculptor stacked concrete cylinders to make a tall column.
Candles were displayed in glass cylinders along the table.
nouncountable
Strong containers, usually metal, used to store gas or liquid under pressure.
Grammar: Often has a noun before it that names the contents: oxygen cylinders, gas cylinders.
Patterns
- gas cylinders
- cylinders of something
Divers carried two oxygen cylinders on their backs.
Delivery trucks brought fresh gas cylinders to the camp every week.
Empty cylinders must be returned to the supplier.
nouncountabletechnical
The tube-shaped chambers in an engine in which pistons move and fuel burns to create power.
Grammar: Usually counted with a number: a four-cylinder engine has four cylinders.
Patterns
- a six-cylinder engine
Most small cars have four cylinders, while sports cars often have eight.
One of the engine's cylinders failed, so the car shook badly.
The mechanic replaced the seals on all the cylinders.
Common combinations
- gas cylinders
- The campsite sells gas cylinders for cooking stoves.
- oxygen cylinders
- The ambulance carries spare oxygen cylinders.
- hydraulic cylinders
- The digger's arm is moved by powerful hydraulic cylinders.
- a four-cylinder engine
- She bought a small car with a four-cylinder engine.
- firing on all cylinders
- After a slow start, the team was firing on all cylinders.
- stack the cylinders
- Workers stack the cylinders upright in the warehouse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tubes
- Tubes is looser and need not have flat circular ends, and it often suggests something long and narrow.
- canisters
- Canisters are containers with lids for storing things like tea or gas, and the word stresses use as a container rather than shape.
- drums
- Drums are wide cylinders used for storing liquids such as oil, and the word suggests a large industrial container.
- barrels
- Barrels bulge slightly in the middle and are usually wooden or metal for liquids, so they are not true cylinders.
Word family
- cylinder noun
- the singular form
- cylindrical adjective
- shaped like a cylinder
- cylindrically adverb
- in a cylinder shape
- cylinder head noun
- the top part that closes an engine cylinder
Commonly confused: cylinders or cylindrical?
cylinders vs cylindrical
Cylinders are the objects themselves, while cylindrical is an adjective describing something shaped like one: a cylindrical tank.
Practice
Most small cars have four ___ in the engine, where the pistons move up and down.
Choose one answer.
The tube-shaped chambers in an engine are cylinders. Cones, prisms and spheres are other solid shapes and are not engine parts.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cylinders”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.