catalytic converter

American  

noun

• catalytic converters
  plural

1. an antipollution device in an automotive exhaust system that contains a catalyst for chemically converting some pollutants in the exhaust gases, as carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and oxides of nitrogen, into harmless compounds.

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catalytic converter British  

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: catcon. a device using three-way catalysts to reduce the obnoxious and poisonous components of the products of combustion (mainly oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and unburnt hydrocarbons) from the exhausts of motor vehicles

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• catalytic converters
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of catalytic converter

First recorded in 1960–65

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

catalytic converter

In 2023, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed a law raising auto insurance costs for Texans by $1 to combat rampant catalytic converter theft.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

The cameras, Rodriguez said, are particularly helpful for addressing catalytic converter theft, a “mobile, high-volume, low-witness crime” where the vehicle used is often the only lead.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

Two of the department’s units spent three months investigating links among a series of catalytic converter thefts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

This relic of combustion awakens in the morning with the refinement of a coffee grinder, winding at around 3,000 rpm until the catalytic converter heats up and the revs fall back to idle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

It was boxy and angular, and it poured so much smoke out of its exhaust pipe, I was certain the Forges of some Dark Lord were firing deep within its catalytic converter.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

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