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high-octane

American  
[hahy-ok-teyn] / ˈhaɪˈɒk teɪn /

adjective

  1. noting a gasoline with a relatively high octane number, characterized by high efficiency and freedom from knock.

  2. Informal. forceful or intense; dynamic; high-powered.

    high-octane efforts to obliterate the competition.


high-octane British  

adjective

  1. (of petrol) having a high octane number

  2. informal dynamic, forceful, or intense

    high-octane drive and efficiency

"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

Etymology

Origin of high-octane

First recorded in 1930–35

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.

Turner says the high-octane emotional scenes helped her to get out the anger, sadness and frustration she was feeling at the time.

From Los Angeles Times

In 2025, though, the Bears hired Johnson, the mastermind of the high-octane Detroit Lions offense.

From The Wall Street Journal

At the same time, its digital incarnation can be a laboratory for high-octane bets—and make placing trades on an app seem even more like a game.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ohio State had been another high-octane attack—until the moment they came up against Miami’s sack machine.

From The Wall Street Journal

But over the course of this season’s playoff quarterfinals, these historic superpowers saw their high-octane offenses reduced to a sputter.

From The Wall Street Journal