carburetor

American  

[kahr-buh-rey-ter, -byuh-] / ˈkɑr bəˌreɪ tər, -byə- /

especially British, carburator,

noun

1. a device for mixing vaporized fuel with air to produce a combustible or explosive mixture, as for an internal-combustion engine.

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Etymology

Origin of carburetor

First recorded in 1860–65; carburet + -or ²

Example Sentences

One memory stood out among the others: Watching Dale Earnhardt tinker with his carburetor under the hood of his car.

From Washington Times • Jul. 17, 2023

In high school, she shelved books at the local library and read incessantly: not only Chinua Achebe and Toni Morrison but also thrillers, histories, how-to books about fixing a carburetor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2023

If you didn’t know a carburetor from a crankshaft, you could never be sure you weren’t getting ripped off.

From Washington Post • May 24, 2022

May the odds be ever in your carburetor.

From The Verge • Apr. 21, 2022

The carburetor of a Model T is not complicated but it needs all of its parts to function.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck