enginenoun [ C ]
uk/ˈen.dʒɪn/us/ˈen.dʒɪn/A2 a machine that uses the energy from liquid fuel or steam to produce movement:
a jet engine
a car engine
My car's been having engine trouble recently.
also locomotive the part of a railway train that pulls it along
something that provides power, often economic power, for other things:
For much of the 19th century Britain was the workshop of the world and the engine of economic growth.
More examples
- Tell the mechanic that the engine was making a strange grinding noise.
- It's fairly simple to modify the engine to run on lead-free fuel.
- The plane's engine failed and the pilot was forced to bail out.
- My car engine overheated because the water had leaked out of the radiator.
- The boat was about a mile from the shore when the engine suddenly died.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
The engine & engine parts
- battery
- carburettor
- cutout
- flywheel
- idle
- motorized
- pickup
- piston
- plug
- power steering
- radiator
- rev
- silencer
- sump
- suspension
- tailpipe
- tappet
- throttle
- transmission
- universal joint
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Machines - Engines & motors
Railways: trains & parts of trains
Power to control