locomotive

[ loh-kuh-moh-tiv ]

/ ˌloʊ kəˈmoʊ tɪv /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR locomotive ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a self-propelled, vehicular engine, powered by steam, a diesel, or electricity, for pulling or, sometimes, pushing a train or individual railroad cars.

an organized group cheer, usually led by a cheerleader, as at a football or basketball game, that begins slowly and progressively increases in speed in such a way as to suggest a steam locomotive.

Archaic. any self-propelled vehicle.

adjective

of or relating to locomotives.

of, relating to, or aiding in locomotion or movement from place to place: the locomotive powers of most animals.

moving or traveling by means of its own mechanism or powers.

serving to produce such movement; adapted for or used in locomotion: locomotive organs.

having the power of locomotion: an animal that is locomotive at birth.

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to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute.

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Origin of locomotive

1605–15; <Latin locō, ablative of locus place + motive (adj.); compare Medieval Latin in locō movērī to change position

OTHER WORDS FROM locomotive

lo·co·mo·tive·ly, adverblo·co·mo·tive·ness, lo·co·mo·tiv·i·ty, nounun·lo·co·mo·tive, adjective

Words nearby locomotive

locoism, locoman, locomobile, locomote, locomotion, locomotive, locomotive engineer, locomotor, locomotor ataxia, loco primo citato, loco supra citato

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for locomotive

When it was first introduced some 170 years ago, the locomotive ran on a domestic fuel source.
Diesel Trains May Soon Use Natural Gas Instead|The Daily Beast|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His torso was nude and his legs had been amputated by the locomotive engine.
Rome’s Deadly Pub Crawls Kill American College Student|Barbie Latza Nadeau|March 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another time, I was shooting a locomotive and it blew up, and some of the stuff got in my air scoop, but I managed to fly it back.
Dr. Roscoe Brown, A Real-Life Tuskegee Airman, Tells His ‘Red Tails’ Story|Marlow Stern|January 19, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When a tiger attacks a zookeeper, it is "making a noise like a locomotive."
Great Weekend Reads|The Daily Beast|March 13, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Coal is really stored-up sunlight and the locomotive, devouring it, is devouring sunlight.
Insect Adventures|J. Henri Fabre
In this locomotive the gear is the same as that of the next illustration, but it is securely boxed in a watertight iron cover.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1157, March 5, 1898|Various
I don't know how long I had been asleep, but what made me wake up was the whistle of a locomotive.
Roy Blakeley's Camp on Wheels|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
If the brake cylinder pipe breaks, can the locomotive brake be applied with the automatic brake valve?
The Traveling Engineers' Association|Anonymous
Off to the right of them windows showed lights; the clang of a locomotive bell came to them as from a great distance.
Truxton King|George Barr McCutcheon

British Dictionary definitions for locomotive

locomotive

/ (ˌləʊkəˈməʊtɪv) /

noun

Also called: locomotive engine a self-propelled engine driven by steam, electricity, or diesel power and used for drawing trains along railway tracks
(as modifier)a locomotive shed; a locomotive works

adjective

of or relating to locomotion

moving or able to move, as by self-propulsion

Derived forms of locomotive

locomotively, adverblocomotiveness, noun

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

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locomotive

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British Dictionary definitions for locomotive

noun

adjective

Derived forms of locomotive

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

locomotive

noun

adjective

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Origin of locomotive

OTHER WORDS FROM locomotive

Words nearby locomotive

Words related to locomotive

Example sentences from the Web for locomotive

British Dictionary definitions for locomotive

noun

adjective

Derived forms of locomotive