What does "valve" mean?
A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.
Valve
/ˈvælv/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.
- Grammar: valve is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accelerator, aerophone, auto, automobile.
- Useful contrasts: blockage, obstruction, pistons.
- Usage evidence: The exit flow rate is proportional to the pressure difference around the exit valve.
How to use "valve"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "valve" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "valve" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "valve" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "valve" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "valve" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accelerator" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "valve", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.
"open the valve"
- 2 one of the paired hinged shells of certain molluscs and of brachiopods wordnet
- 3 A device that controls the flow of a gas or fluid through a space, such as a pipe, manifold, or plenum.; Such a device that admits fuel and air into the cylinder of an internal combustion engine, or one that allows combustion gases to exit.
"Near-synonym: poppet valve"
- 4 the entire one-piece shell of a snail and certain other molluscs wordnet
- 5 One or more membranous partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or control the flow in the opposite direction.
"the ileocecal valve"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 control consisting of a mechanical device for controlling the flow of a fluid wordnet
- 7 One of the leaves of a folding door or of a window sash.
- 8 device in a brass wind instrument for varying the length of the air column to alter the pitch of a tone wordnet
- 9 A vacuum tube. British
- 10 a structure in a hollow organ (like the heart) with a flap to insure one-way flow of fluid through it wordnet
- 11 One of the pieces into which certain fruits naturally separate when they dehisce.
- 12 A small portion of certain anthers, which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, such as in the barberry.
- 13 One of the pieces or divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells.
- 14 One of the two similar portions of the shell of a diatom.
Verb
- 1 To control (flow) by means of a valve. transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The exit flow rate is proportional to the pressure difference around the exit valve."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "valve"?
Common synonyms include: accelerator, aerophone, auto, automobile, ball cock, ball valve.
How do you use "valve" in a sentence?
The exit flow rate is proportional to the pressure difference around the exit valve.
How do you pronounce "valve"?
Pronounced /ˈvælv/.
Etymology
From Middle English valve, from Latin valva (“double door, valve”). Doublet of valva.