power plant

American  

Or powerplant

noun

• power plants
  plural

1. a plant, including engines, dynamos, etc., and the building or buildings necessary for the generation of power, as electric or nuclear power.

2. the machinery for supplying power for a particular mechanical process or operation.

3. the engine, motor, or other power source along with related ignition, transmission, etc., components of a vehicle, aircraft, machine, etc.

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power plant British  

noun

1. the complex, including machinery, associated equipment, and the structure housing it, that is used in the generation of power, esp electrical power

2. the equipment supplying power to a particular machine or for a particular operation or process

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• power plants
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of power plant

First recorded in 1885–90

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

power plant

They include a coal-fired power plant with three giant smokestacks, keeping the lights on throughout the remote region.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026

The developer of a proposed data centre in Cardiff has said it is also seeking permission to build a gas power plant to get it up and running.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

‘Living near a private four-year university is associated with a 15-fold increase in cancer mortality when compared to living near a nuclear power plant.’

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

"I wish the Rooppur nuclear power plant goes into operation soon, and we reap the full benefit," she said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Instead, Voyager relies on a small nuclear power plant, drawing hundreds of watts from the radioactive decay of a pellet of plutonium.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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Related Words

• power station
• station

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