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ramjet

American  
[ram-jet] / ˈræmˌdʒɛt /

noun

  1. a jet engine operated by the injection of fuel into a stream of air compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft.


ramjet British  
/ ˈræmˌdʒɛt /

noun

  1. Also called: athodyd

    1. a type of jet engine in which fuel is burned in a duct using air compressed by the forward speed of the aircraft

    2. an aircraft powered by such an engine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ramjet Scientific  
/ rămjĕt′ /
  1. A cylindrical jet propulsion engine consisting of air intake and combustion chambers into which burning fuel is injected, forcing hot air out of the rear of the engine at high pressures to provide forward thrust.

  2. See Note at turbojet


Etymology

Origin of ramjet

First recorded in 1940–45; ram 1 + jet 1

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

GE Aerospace developed a generative AI tool that creates hundreds of hypersonic ramjet engine designs in seconds, a process previously taking months.

From Barron's May 19, 2026

Reaching Mach 5 involves the use of a so-called ramjet, which is similar to a traditional jet engine but doesn’t have any moving parts.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 7, 2026

A scramjet is a supersonic combustion ramjet involving combustion that uses the forward speed of the aircraft as part of its propulsion.

From Washington Times Jun. 10, 2020

HCMs use a supersonic combustion ramjet, or “scramjet,” to accelerate.

From Science Magazine Jan. 8, 2020

For the ramjet to work, it needs a frontal scoop hundreds of kilometers across.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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