internal-combustion engine

noun

1. an engine of one or more working cylinders in which the process of combustion takes place within the cylinders.

internal-combustion engine

noun

1. a heat engine in which heat is supplied by burning the fuel in the working fluid (usually air)

internal-combustion engine

1. An engine whose fuel is burned inside the engine itself rather than in an outside furnace or burner. Gasoline and diesel engines are internal-combustion engines, as are gas turbine engines such as turbojets.

2. Compare steam engine

internal-combustion engine

1. Any engine powered by burning fuel inside it (for example, a standard automobile engine). Internal-combustion engines normally burn fossil fuels and therefore are a major source of air pollution. (See smog.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of internal-combustion engine¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

The company now says it will buy more internal-combustion engine vehicles, citing weaker demand and higher operating costs for E.V.s.

Read more on New York Times

The state’s plan to ban sales of new internal-combustion engine vehicles by 2035, approved by regulators on Thursday, sets strict limits on what automakers can and can’t sell.

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That would make it impossible to sell internal-combustion engine cars.

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But it has also angered environmental groups who say the extra corn production damages land and water while prolonging the era of the internal-combustion engine.

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Some automakers have added artificial sounds to account for the absence of a growling internal-combustion engine — but Maserati said it won’t go that same route.

Read more on The Verge