heat engine

American  

noun

Thermodynamics.

1. a mechanical device designed to transform part of the heat entering it into work.

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heat engine British  

noun

1. an engine that converts heat energy into mechanical energy

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Etymology

Origin of heat engine

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Depending on conditions, it can function as a refrigerator, act as a heat engine, or amplify thermal transport.

From Science Daily • Jan. 29, 2026

Nearly two centuries ago, French physicist Sadi Carnot established the theoretical maximum efficiency that any heat engine can achieve.

From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026

“You can think of a hurricane as a heat engine where the ocean is the fuel … so giving it warmer water is basically like higher-octane fuel,” Hazelton said.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 4, 2023

How efficient, then, can a heat engine be?

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Carnot's view of the working of a heat engine was founded on the analogy of the performance of work by a stream of water descending from a higher level to a lower.

From Lord Kelvin An account of his scientific life and work by Gray, Andrew