turbo

¹ American

[tur-boh] / ˈtɜr boʊ /

noun

turbine.
Informal. turbocharger.
an automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine equipped with a turbocharger.

turbo- ² American

a combining form representing turbine in compound words.

turbojet.

turbo- British

combining form

of, relating to, or driven by a turbine

turbofan

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

turbos

plural

Etymology

Origin of turbo¹

1655–65, in sense “tornado”; 1900–05 turbo for def. 1; in part < Latin turbō top, whirlwind, in part by shortening of turbocharged ( def. ) or turbocharger

Origin of turbo-²

turb(ine) + -o-

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.

The 550-horsepower V8 biturbo — which is the kind of high-performance engine many people might never get a chance to drive on its own — is the workhorse in these modes.

From The Verge • Jul. 25, 2017

Then you stir all four wheels with the X6 M’s hairy-chested twin-scroll biturbo 4.4 V8, with its nominal 567 hp and its over-brimming torque, 553 pound feet from 2,200 rpm to 5,000 rpm.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 7, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023