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chemical engineering

American  

noun

  1. the science or profession of applying chemistry to industrial processes.


chemical engineering British  

noun

  1. the branch of engineering concerned with the design, operation, maintenance, and manufacture of the plant and machinery used in industrial chemical processes

"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

chemical engineering Scientific  
  1. The branch of engineering that deals with the manufacture of products through chemical processes. These products include, among others, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, petrochemicals, microelectronic devices, polymers, and products used in food processing and in biotechnology.


Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of chemical engineering

First recorded in 1900–05


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.

See Examples For:

Kwanghun Chung, an associate professor of chemical engineering at MIT, is also an author.

From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026

“Frankly we aren’t even sure what that means,” wrote Stacy Rasgon, an 18-year chip analyst at Bernstein who has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026

It was rescued and saved by Rick Flagan, a professor of chemical engineering and environmental science, who found it in a tin film canister in a Caltech closet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026

The local connection was supposedly provided by Francisco "Buka Tanda" Oliveira, a youth leader for Angola's main opposition party, Unita, who speaks Russian after having studied chemical engineering in Russia between 2015 and 2019.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Chemical engineering: general chemical engineering; metallurgical engineering; gas engineering; pulp and paper engineering; electro-chemical engineering.

From College Teaching Studies in Methods of Teaching in the College by Paul Klapper

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