internal-combustion engine

American  

noun

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

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internal-combustion engine British  

noun

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

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internal-combustion engine Scientific  

/ ĭn-tûr′nəl-kəm-bŭs′chən /

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

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internal-combustion engine Cultural  

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.)

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Etymology

Origin of internal-combustion engine

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

internal-combustion engine

Sebastian C. Schulte took over as chief executive at Deutz, the 162-year-old pioneer of the internal-combustion engine, around two weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026

The cheapest EVs like the Leaf now sell for under $30,000, although small internal-combustion engine cars are cheaper, at about $21,000 for the Nissan Sentra in the U.S.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 8, 2023

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

From Reuters ● Jun. 29, 2022

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.

From The Verge ● Mar. 17, 2022

We have seen that a very important part of the internal-combustion engine, as used on the motor-car, is the radiator, which prevents the engine from becoming overheated and thus ceasing to work.

From The Mastery of the Air by William J. Claxton

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