carburettor

British

/ -bə-, ˈkɑːbjʊˌreɪtə, ˌkɑːbjʊˈrɛtə, ˈkɑːbjʊˌrɛtə, -bə- /

noun

Informal term: carb. a device used in petrol engines for atomizing the petrol, controlling its mixture with air, and regulating the intake of the air-petrol mixture into the engine Compare fuel injection

"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

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.

You or I might be in thrall to someone’s physique or wit, but he admiringly wonders: “She’s got a carburettor tied to the moon / Pink eyes looking to the food of the ages.”

From The Guardian • Jul. 2, 2020

When I was young, my dad repainted the kitchen and replaced our Cortina’s carburettor while Mum made me toast for breakfast and washed my grass-stained clothes.

From The Guardian • May 6, 2016

A light aircraft crash at Caernarfon which killed the son of the pilot was probably caused by the carburettor icing up, an inquest has heard.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2014

"On examination of the carburettor a small stone was discovered within the housing," added Det Sgt Jenkins.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2010

Air is also sucked into the carburettor, and the mixture of air and petrol spray produces an inflammable vapour which is drawn straight into the cylinder of the engine.

From The Mastery of the Air by Claxton, William J.

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