The engine of a car or other vehicle is the part that produces the power which makes the vehicle move.
He got into the driving seat and started the engine.
...an engine failure that forced a jetliner to crash-land in a field.
Synonyms: machine, motor, mechanism, generator More Synonyms of engine
2. countable noun
An engine is also the large vehicle that pulls a railway train.
In 1941, the train would have been pulled by a steam engine.
More Synonyms of engine
engine in British English
(ˈɛndʒɪn)
noun
1.
any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work
a steam engine
a petrol engine
2.
a.
a railway locomotive
b.
(as modifier)
the engine cab
3. military
any of various pieces of equipment formerly used in warfare, such as a battering ram or gun
4. obsolete
any instrument or device
engines of torture
Word origin
C13: from Old French engin, from Latin ingenium nature, talent, ingenious contrivance, from in-2 + -genium, related to gignere to beget, produce
engine in American English
(ˈɛndʒən)
noun
1.
any machine that uses energy to develop mechanical power; esp., a machine for transmitting motion to some other machine
2.
a railroad locomotive
3.
any instrument or machine; apparatus
engines of warfare, engines of torture
4.
fire engine
5. Archaic
any means or device
Word origin
ME engin, native talent, hence something produced by this < OFr < L ingenium, natural ability, genius < in-, in + base of gignere, to beget: see genus
engine in Automotive Engineering
(ɛndʒɪn)
Word forms: (regular plural) engines
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Engine, transmission, and exhaust)
The engine of a vehicle is the part that converts the energy of the fuel into mechanical energy, and produces the power which makes the vehicle move.
He got into the driving seat and started the engine.
He was sitting in the driver's seat revving the engine to clean out the carburetor.
She heard the car doors slam, the engine start up, and the car pull away.
CI engine, internal combustion engine, oversquare engine, reciprocating engine, spark ignition engine, spark ignition engine, engine bay, engine management system, engine mount
engine in Mechanical Engineering
(ɛndʒɪn)
Word forms: (regular plural) engines
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Machinery and components)
An engine is a machine designed to use energy, especially heat energy, to make a vehicle move.
The purpose of a car engine is to provide the power to make the car move.
Turn on the ignition so the car's engine is running.
An engine is a machine designed to use energy, especially heat energy, to make a vehicle move.
engine in Electrical Engineering
(ɛndʒɪn)
Word forms: (regular plural) engines
noun
(Electrical engineering: Electrical power, Motor or generator)
An engine is a device for converting one form of energy into another, especially for convertingother forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Diesel or gas-fired engines are the principal types used in electric plants.
Recent technological developments that involve thermo-acoustic engines and converters hold the promise of converting up to 40 percent of high-grade thermalenergy into electric power.
An engine is a device for converting one form of energy into another, especially for convertingother forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Examples of 'engine' in a sentence
engine
The pair were seen chatting in the car with the engine running hours before.
The Sun (2016)
You can almost smell the steam and engine oil.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can set the URL address bar to use your chosen search engine.
Computing (2010)
I guess there's only so much money to be made from search engines and music streaming.
The Sun (2016)
We use technology to invent, you know, steam engines.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
NET and search engine optimisation.
Computing (2010)
The Canadian paraglider had a propeller strapped to her back but was gliding without engine power at the time of the near miss last July.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The number of trains on Britain's network will grow faster than at any time since steam engines were phased out half a century ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The search engine will link results more closely to the region of the person making the enquiry.
The Sun (2006)
Users of the engines have also had problems.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There is a choice of petrol and diesel engines.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
We are talking about maybe less than millimetres of margin in the cars and engines.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
This could lead to a smouldering of the pump and an engine compartment or vehicle fire.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There is also a railway engine that bears her name.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Were the pilots not warned of engine failure or did a system erroneously shut down the engines?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is by far the most popular search engine in the world and is getting more popular.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
The engine block also gave forward protection.
Patrick Bishop FIGHTER BOYS: Saving Britain 1940 (2003)
The petrol and diesel engines are quick and economical too.
The Sun (2011)
There he worked on engine and car design.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We are only one engine failure away from a disaster.
The Sun (2015)
It also has a search engine of its own.
Christianity Today (2000)
Next year manufacturers will begin introducing cars with new engines and safety equipment to comply with the coming regulations.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
You have a very simple four-cylinder engine powering electric motors.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
This can boost engine power and torque by up to 30%.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Investigators have blamed oil leaks triggered by faulty parts in the engines - prompting the replacement programme.
The Sun (2010)
Steam engines were soon doing the work of 40 million people working flat out and progress was rapid.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I also restore miniature railway engines in there.
The Sun (2011)
I wonder if it derives in any way from steam engines.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But all I heard was the vehicle engine.
Stewart, Bob (Lt-Col) Broken Lives (1993)
Her equipment and engines, the integrity of her construction, were the best that money could buy.
Eaton, John P & Haas, Charles A Titanic - Destination disaster (1987)
Word lists with
engine
parts of an aircraft, parts of an aircraft
In other languages
engine
British English: engine /ˈɛndʒɪn/ NOUN
machine An engine is a machine that makes things like cars and planes move.
American English: engine
Arabic: مُحَرِّك
Brazilian Portuguese: motor
Chinese: 发动机
Croatian: motor
Czech: motor
Danish: motor
Dutch: motor in auto
European Spanish: motor máquina
Finnish: moottori
French: moteur
German: Maschine
Greek: μηχανή
Italian: motore
Japanese: エンジン
Korean: 엔진
Norwegian: motor
Polish: silnik
European Portuguese: motor
Romanian: motor
Russian: двигатель
Latin American Spanish: motor
Swedish: motor
Thai: เครื่องยนต์
Turkish: motor
Ukrainian: двигун
Vietnamese: động cơ
British English: engine /ˈɛndʒɪn/ NOUN
train An engine is the front part of a train that pulls it along.
American English: engine
Arabic: مُحَرِّك
Brazilian Portuguese: motor
Chinese: 火车头
Croatian: lokomotiva
Czech: lokomotiva
Danish: lokomotiv
Dutch: locomotief
European Spanish: locomotora
Finnish: veturi
French: locomotive
German: Lokomotive
Greek: μηχανή
Italian: motore
Japanese: 機関車
Korean: 엔진
Norwegian: motor
Polish: lokomotywa
European Portuguese: motor
Romanian: locomotivă
Russian: локомотив
Latin American Spanish: motor
Swedish: motor
Thai: หัวรถจักร
Turkish: motor
Ukrainian: паровоз
Vietnamese: động cơ
All related terms of 'engine'
CI engine
A CI engine is an engine in which the fuel charge is ignited by the heat of compression .
aero engine
an engine for powering an aircraft
air engine
an engine that uses the expansion of heated air to drive a piston
bank engine
a fishing vessel of Newfoundland
beam engine
an early type of steam engine , in which a pivoted beam is vibrated by a vertical steam cylinder at one end, so that it transmits motion to the workload , such as a pump , at the other end
beer engine
a pump used to draw beer from a cask
engine bay
The engine bay is the space inside a vehicle for the engine.
engine pod
an aircraft turbojet unit comprising the engine and its cowling suspended by a pylon , often below the wing
engine room
On a boat or a ship, the engine room is the place where the engines are.
engine shed
the large shed in which trains are kept when not in service
engine unit
the unit within which an engine is contained
fire engine
A fire engine is a large vehicle which carries firefighters and equipment for putting out fires.
gas engine
a type of internal-combustion engine using a flammable gas , such as coal gas or natural gas, as fuel
heat engine
an engine that converts heat energy into mechanical energy
ion engine
a type of rocket engine in which thrust is obtained by the electrostatic acceleration of charged positive ions
jet engine
A jet engine is an engine in which hot air and gases are forced out at the back. Jet engines are used for most modern aircraft.
Otto engine
a four-stroke petrol engine
tank engine
a steam locomotive that carries its water supply in tanks mounted around its boiler
bypass engine
a gas turbine in which a part of the compressor delivery bypasses the combustion zone , flowing directly into or around the main exhaust gas flow to provide additional thrust
diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine in which oil is burnt by very hot air . Diesel engines are used in buses and trucks , and in some trains and cars .
donkey engine
a small auxiliary engine, such as one used for pumping water into the boilers of a steamship
engine block
the metal casting containing the piston chambers of an internal combustion engine
engine driver
a person who drives a railway locomotive ; train driver
engine house
a building in which engines, as fire engines, railroad locomotives , etc., are housed
engine mount
The engine mount is the part of the chassis on which an engine is supported.
light engine
a railway locomotive in motion without drawing any carriages or wagons
monkey engine
a pile-driver
petrol engine
an internal-combustion engine that uses petrol as fuel
pilot engine
a locomotive that leads one or more other locomotives at the head of a train of coaches or wagons
piston engine
an engine in which one or more pistons move backwards and forwards inside a cylinder or cylinders
plasma engine
an engine that generates thrust by reaction to the emission of a jet of plasma
radial engine
an internal-combustion engine having a number of cylinders arranged about a central crankcase
rocket engine
a reaction engine in which a fuel and oxidizer are burnt in a combustion chamber , the products of combustion expanding through a nozzle and producing thrust
rotary engine
an internal-combustion engine having radial cylinders that rotate about a fixed crankshaft
search engine
A search engine is a computer program that searches for documents containing a particular word or words on the internet.
steam engine
an engine that uses the thermal energy of steam to produce mechanical work, esp one in which steam from a boiler is expanded in a cylinder to drive a reciprocating piston
turbo engine
an engine containing a turbocharger
Wankel engine
a type of four-stroke internal-combustion engine without reciprocating parts. It consists of one or more approximately elliptical combustion chambers within which a curved triangular-shaped piston rotates, by the explosion of compressed gas, dividing the combustion chamber into three gastight sections
compound engine
a steam engine in which the steam is expanded in more than one stage , first in a high-pressure cylinder and then in one or more low-pressure cylinders
engine failure
failure to operate by the engine of an aircraft, car, or other vehicle
engine trouble
malfunction of a vehicle's engine
freight engine
a locomotive for pulling freight trains, designed for high drawbar pull rather than high speed
pulsejet engine
a type of ramjet engine in which air is admitted through movable vanes that are closed by the pressure resulting from each intermittent explosion of the fuel in the combustion chamber , thus causing a pulsating thrust
railway engine
a self-propelled engine used for drawing or pushing trains along railway tracks ; locomotive
ramjet (engine)
a jet engine, without moving parts, in which the air for oxidizing the fuel is continuously compressed by being rammed into the inlet by the high velocity of the aircraft
reaction engine
an engine , such as a jet or rocket engine, that ejects gas at high velocity and develops its thrust from the ensuing reaction
Stirling engine
an external-combustion engine that uses air or an inert gas as the working fluid operating on a highly efficient thermodynamic cycle (the Stirling cycle )
traction engine
a steam-powered locomotive used, esp formerly, for drawing heavy loads along roads or over rough ground. It usually has two large rear wheels and a rope drum for haulage purposes
turbine engine
a rotary engine that converts kinetic energy of a moving fluid (water, steam , air, or combustion products of a fuel ) into mechanical energy
turbojet engine
a gas turbine in which the exhaust gases provide the propulsive thrust to drive an aircraft
Chinese translation of 'engine'
engine
(ˈɛndʒɪn)
n(c)
(Aut) 发(發)动(動)机(機) (fādòngjī) (台, tái)
(Rail) 机(機)车(車) (jīchē) (部, bù)
1 (noun)
Definition
any machine designed to convert energy into mechanical work, esp. one used to power a vehicle
He got into the driving seat and started the engine.
Synonyms
machine
I put a coin in the machine and pulled the lever.
motor
She got in and started the motor.
mechanism
The heat-producing mechanism will switch itself on automatically.
generator
dynamo
2 (noun)
(obsolete)
Computers and telecommunications are the engines of change.
Synonyms
device
This device can measure minute quantities of matter.
means
agency (old-fashioned)
a negotiated settlement through the agency of the UN
weapon
agent
the bleaching agent in white flour
tool
The best tool for the purpose is a pair of shears.
instrument
a thin tube-like optical instrument
implement
writing implements
appliance
We need to replace the washing machine and some other household appliances.
apparatus
He was rescued by firefighters wearing breathing apparatus.
contrivance
They wear simple clothes and shun modern contrivances.