Lenoir

American

[luh-nwar, luh-nawr, -nohr] / ləˈnwar, ləˈnɔr, -ˈnoʊr /

noun

Jean Joseph Étienne 1822–1900, French inventor.
a town in W North Carolina.

Lenoir Scientific

/ lĕ-nwär′ /

French inventor who in 1859 constructed the first practical internal-combustion engine, which was fueled by coal gas and air. He later built a car and a boat that were powered by this engine.

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.

The bank is privately owned by an investment group led by Scot Lenoir, Evolve’s website shows.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

“This rebuild is going to require another generation of craftspeople,” said Dixon Mitchell, who runs Fairfield Chair Co. out of Lenoir, N.C.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025

Lenoir, a former standout at Los Angeles Salesian High who played four seasons at Oregon, was selected by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2021 draft.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 27, 2025

One victim was listed in Lenoir County, Lazarus Rouse on August 1, 1916, and one, Jerome Whitefield, on August 14, 1921, in Jones County.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025

Fancy Lenoir lugging this old coat of mine around in the car, Other Fellow, until now.

From From the Car Behind by Flagg, James Montgomery

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023