internal-combustion engine

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noun

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

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Origin of internal-combustion engine

First recorded in 1880–85

Words nearby internal-combustion engine

internal, internal audit, internal auditory meatus, internal clock, internal-combustion, internal-combustion engine, internal conflict, internal conversion, internal ear, internal energy, internal exile

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use internal-combustion engine in a sentence

Even more astounding, the fledgling carmaker had ambitions to end the dominance of the world’s largest automakers and displace the modern era’s fundamental transportation technology, the internal-combustion engine.
Tesla’s wild ride, steered by Elon Musk|Jon Gertner|August 27, 2021|Washington Post
Nor would they say whether Oshkosh has preformed a powertrain transition, swapping out an internal-combustion engine and transmission for electric parts, or how much that would cost.
Electric automaker Workhorse sues Postal Service to halt truck contract|Jacob Bogage|June 16, 2021|Washington Post
The trucks are designed to run on either an internal-combustion engine or a battery-electric drivetrain, which has a higher purchase price but would save the Postal Service money over time in fuel and maintenance.
USPS trucks don’t have air bags or air conditioning. They get 10 mpg. And they were revolutionary.|Jacob Bogage|May 24, 2021|Washington Post
Right now we’re in a situation where natural scientists are learning the science of climate change, but engineering students in Spain are still learning about the internal-combustion engine as if it were still viable in a few years.
The Unexpected Ways Climate Change is Reshaping College Education|Ciara Nugent|April 16, 2021|Time

Companies including GM and Daimler are getting credit for undergoing metamorphoses, though they have spent more than a century basing manufacturing, labor and retailing practices on the internal-combustion engine.
Is the boom in electric vehicle stocks almost over?|Verne Kopytoff|December 19, 2020|Fortune
The jet engine instantly brought two advances over propellers: it doubled the speed and it was far more reliable.
Flight 8501 Poses Question: Are Modern Jets Too Automated to Fly?|Clive Irving|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
An F-35 was destroyed on takeoff earlier in the year when a design flaw in its Pratt & Whitney F135 engine sparked a fire.
New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire Its Gun Until 2019|Dave Majumdar|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Texas has also started to become an engine of economic growth.
Will Texas Stay Texan?|David Fontana|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Turn the heat down to 325°F and continue cooking until internal temperature reads 140°F on a thermometer.
Make Carla Hall’s Roasted Pork Loin With Cranberries|Carla Hall|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The result was a system not open to alternatives from the outside and with no internal incentives for innovation.
Your Local School Doesn’t Have to Suck|Michael S. Roth|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Under the internal pressure his whiskers stood on end and his face grew red.
The Bondboy|George W. (George Washington) Ogden
It was only the engine drawing the train of cars up to the station to take the passengers away.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
“Mon pauvre petit, you are hungry,” said Aristide, carrying it to the car racked by the clattering engine.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Adjoining the engine-house on the other side, is the stable, where five splendid horses are kept.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
The huge engine, the wonderful carriages, the imposing guard, the busy porters and the bustling station.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow

British Dictionary definitions for internal-combustion engine

internal-combustion engine

noun

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

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

Scientific definitions for internal-combustion engine

internal-combustion engine

[ ĭn-tûr′nəl-kəm-bŭs′chən ]

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. Compare steam engine.

Cultural definitions for internal-combustion engine

internal-combustion engine

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.)