propellant
Americannoun
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a propelling agent.
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the charge of explosive used to propel the projectile from a gun.
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a substance, usually a mixture of fuel and oxidizer, for propelling a rocket.
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a compressed inert gas that serves to dispense the contents of an aerosol container when the pressure is released.
noun
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something that provides or causes propulsion, such as the explosive charge in a gun or the fuel in a rocket
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the gas used to carry the liquid droplets in an aerosol spray
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of propellant
Explanation
A propellant is a force or substance that drives something else forward. Your model rocket needs a propellant, or a fuel to push it into the air. You might use something as simple as vinegar and baking soda. Space rockets use solid or liquid propellants, or fuel. Propellant derives from the word propel, which means to drive something forward with force. A propellant can be fuel, or the explosive charge that pushes a bullet out of a gun. Gases used to propel can be called "propellant gases" and might be stored in a "propellant tank." Note that some dictionaries accept the variant spelling propellent.
Vocabulary lists containing propellant
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October Sky
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 6
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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.
For instance, it can be used as a food propellant for whipped cream dispensers or to boost auto engines, and is sold in canisters and tanks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
In the following years, Chinese companies produced for Iran chemical materials such as sodium perchlorate, which is used to make propellant for ballistic missiles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Roman also began its journey with more propellant available than planners originally expected to need.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
It will also have propellant farms, a propellant production facility and employee housing, among other facilities.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
The series of equations we needed to work described the parameters of thrust coefficient, nozzle-throat area, combustion-chamber cross-sectional areas, and velocity of the gases predicted for any particular propellant.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
