engine

American  

[en-juhn] / ˈɛn dʒən /

noun

• engines
  plural

1. a machine for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy or power to produce force and motion.

2. a railroad locomotive.

3. a fire engine.

4. Computers. a piece or collection of software that drives a later process (used in combination, as in ).

5. any mechanical contrivance.

6. a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering ram, catapult, or piece of artillery.

7. a means by which something is achieved, accomplished, or furthered.

   Trade is an engine of growth that creates jobs, reduces poverty, and increases economic opportunity.

8. Obsolete. an instrument of torture, especially the rack.

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engine British  

/ ˈɛndʒɪn /

noun

1. any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work

   a steam engine

   a petrol engine

2. 1. a railway locomotive

   2. ( 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

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engine Scientific  

/ ĕn′jĭn /

1. A machine that turns energy into mechanical force or motion, especially one that gets its energy from a source of heat, such as the burning of a fuel. The efficiency of an engine is the ratio between the kinetic energy produced by the machine and the energy needed to produce it.

2. See more at internal-combustion engine steam engine See also motor

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multiengine
  noun
• engineless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• engines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of engine

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English engin, from Anglo-French, Old French engign, enging, from Latin ingenium “nature, innate quality, mental power, clever invention,” equivalent to in- “in” + -genium (equivalent to gen- “begetting” + -ium noun suffix); see in- ², kin, -ium

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Explanation

An engine is a machine that burns fuel to make something move. The engine in a car is the motor that makes it go. Engines power vehicles including cars, trains, airplanes, and boats. While these engines tend to be powered by fuel that's burned, other engines get their power from electricity, which they convert to mechanical energy — fans, power tools, and small appliances all commonly have electric engines. Figuratively, you can also use the word engine to mean "something that's used to bring about a specific result." In your state, for example, tourism might be the main engine of job growth.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

engine engines

Porsche revived plans for an entry-level SUV with a gas engine, but it won’t arrive until 2028.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

She said the Shark has “more power and torque than the legacy ICE rivals,” referring to the internal combustion engine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Often dubbed "Russia's Google", the firm runs the country's most popular search engine, as well as a food-ordering and taxi application used by tens of millions of people across the Russian-speaking world.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

But he says that he will have to take another new engine, as soon as a planned upgrade is ready, to get him to the end of the season.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

The thing looked like a glider with a jet engine, its wings twice as long as its body, so long they drooped when the plane was at rest.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Brands including Fender and Marshall are producing video with both human viewers and AI answer engines in mind.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

One of them is Ukraine-based Culver Aerospace, which is building jet engines domestically for its own and other companies’ drones and missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The department is pre-staging resources such as fire engines, strike teams, camp crews, water tenders and drone crews in known high-risk areas including Malibu, the 101 Freeway corridor and the Antelope Valley, she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Agents can live up to that name and be good organizational assistants, rather than souped-up search engines that can talk back to you.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

The control room was filled with computers that kept track of the Juggernaut’s engines and machines and systems.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

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Related Words

• appliance
• diesel
• generator
• instrument
• motor
• power plant
• tool
• transformer
• turbine
• weapon

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