engine
Americannoun
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a machine for converting thermal energy into mechanical energy or power to produce force and motion.
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a railroad locomotive.
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a fire engine.
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Computers. a piece or collection of software that drives a later process (used in combination, as in ).
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any mechanical contrivance.
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a machine or instrument used in warfare, as a battering ram, catapult, or piece of artillery.
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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.
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Obsolete. an instrument of torture, especially the rack.
noun
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any machine designed to convert energy, esp heat energy, into mechanical work
a steam engine
a petrol engine
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a railway locomotive
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( as modifier )
the engine cab
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military any of various pieces of equipment formerly used in warfare, such as a battering ram or gun
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obsolete any instrument or device
engines of torture
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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.
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See more at internal-combustion engine steam engine See also motor
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
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
Explanation
An engine is a machine that burns fuel to make something move. The engine in a car is the motor that makes it go. Engines power vehicles including cars, trains, airplanes, and boats. While these engines tend to be powered by fuel that's burned, other engines get their power from electricity, which they convert to mechanical energy — fans, power tools, and small appliances all commonly have electric engines. Figuratively, you can also use the word engine to mean "something that's used to bring about a specific result." In your state, for example, tourism might be the main engine of job growth.
Vocabulary lists containing engine
Engineering - Introductory
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Mechanical Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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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:
“I don’t think they have made a decision yet, but we are working with them,” he said, adding that it would take about six to seven years to develop the engine and airframe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
This is a partnership with another European player that shares the same vision and aims to create a European hydrogen engine manufacturer for tomorrow's electric aircraft.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
An incident on a Ryanair flight which saw a passenger partially sucked out of a plane window may have been caused by "foreign object damage" to an engine, said the airline's boss.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
BAE Systems stock rose 3.3%, while engine maker Rolls-Royce climbed 1.9%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The bear outside moved away from the tundra buggy, and Owen’s dad started the engine again.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Despite difficulties in sourcing engines for its best-selling A320 jets, Airbus managed to increase the number of aircraft it delivered in recent months and analysts say its annual target should be attainable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Within two decades, railroads had replaced steam engines with diesel-electric trains, which are cheaper to maintain and operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
We're doing research on all types of engines, but the priority today is to make this open-fan engine viable.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
The second Red Bull of Isack Hadjar was fourth fastest, 0.252secs slower than Verstappen, as it emerged that he Frenchman will have a 10-place grid penalty for exceeding his permitted number of engines.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
As I got dressed, I heard farm workers warming their car engines before leaving to look for work picking carrots or thinning lettuce.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
