engine

[ en-juhn ]

See synonyms for: engine engines on Thesaurus.com

noun

a machine for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy or power to produce force and motion.
a railroad locomotive.

a fire engine.
Computers. a piece or collection of software that drives a later process (used in combination, as in game engine; software engine).: See also search engine.
any mechanical contrivance.
a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering ram, catapult, or piece of artillery.
a means by which something is achieved, accomplished, or furthered: Trade is an engine of growth that creates jobs, reduces poverty, and increases economic opportunity.
Obsolete. an instrument of torture, especially the rack.

Origin of engine

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English engin, from Anglo-French, Old French engign, enging, from Latin ingenium “nature, innate quality, mental power, clever invention,” equivalent to in- “in” + -genium (equivalent to gen- “begetting” + -ium noun suffix); see in-², kin, -ium

Other words from engine

en·gine·less, adjective
mul·ti·en·gine, noun

Words Nearby engine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use engine in a sentence

You can’t predict what Google or any other search engine will do with its algorithm, but luckily, that’s not your job.
Modern SEO strategy: Three tactics to support your efforts | Nick Chasinov | June 23, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
A follow link is acknowledged by search engines and drives SEO juice for the linked site.
Content creation guide: How to effectively think of SEO at every stage | Kelsey Raymond | June 19, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
Now more than ever, consumers are turning to search engines for their every need.
Five SEO content types to power and grow your business through 2020 | Jim Yu | June 17, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
If you can increase your CTR, it shows search engines that the page is relevant for that search term and it can help your website’s overall search ranking.
How to win at SEO with FAQ schema markup | Abhishek Shah | June 12, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
An SEO-friendly URL must be one that’s easy to read for search engines and gives humans the idea of what they are about to click.
SEO on a shoestring budget: What small business owners can do to win | Ali Faagba | June 4, 2020 | Search Engine Watch

The jet engine instantly brought two advances over propellers: it doubled the speed and it was far more reliable.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly? | Clive Irving | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
An F-35 was destroyed on takeoff earlier in the year when a design flaw in its Pratt & Whitney F135 engine sparked a fire.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019 | Dave Majumdar | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Texas has also started to become an engine of economic growth.
Will Texas Stay Texan? | David Fontana | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Clearly, the least cool people are the most in-demand: the rich folks who power the Art Basel engine.
Sneer and Clothing in Miami: Inside The $3 Billion Woodstock of Contemporary Art | Jay Michaelson | December 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They not only disrupted service in China, they apparently crashed the search engine worldwide.
Sony Blames North Korea for Hacking, but Washington Left Them Completely Vulnerable | Gordon G. Chang | December 3, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was only the engine drawing the train of cars up to the station to take the passengers away.
Squinty the Comical Pig | Richard Barnum
“Mon pauvre petit, you are hungry,” said Aristide, carrying it to the car racked by the clattering engine.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
Adjoining the engine-house on the other side, is the stable, where five splendid horses are kept.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham | Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
The huge engine, the wonderful carriages, the imposing guard, the busy porters and the bustling station.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland | Joseph Tatlow
He hired an engine to plow all his land that was not prepared, besides renting a little more, and also took a flier in wheat.
The Homesteader | Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for engine

engine

/ (ˈɛndʒɪn) /

noun

any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work: a steam engine; a petrol engine
- a railway locomotive
- (as modifier): the engine cab

military any of various pieces of equipment formerly used in warfare, such as a battering ram or gun
obsolete any instrument or device: engines of torture

Origin of engine

C13: from Old French engin, from Latin ingenium nature, talent, ingenious contrivance, from in- ² + -genium, related to gignere to beget, produce

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

Scientific definitions for engine

engine

[ ĕn′jĭn ]

A machine that turns energy into mechanical force or motion, especially one that gets its energy from a source of heat, such as the burning of a fuel. The efficiency of an engine is the ratio between the kinetic energy produced by the machine and the energy needed to produce it. See more at internal-combustion engine steam engine. See also motor.

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