motor

American  

[moh-ter] / ˈmoʊ tər /

noun

• motors
  plural

1. a comparatively small and powerful engine, especially an internal-combustion engine in an automobile, motorboat, or the like.

2. any self-powered vehicle.

3. a person or thing that imparts motion, especially a contrivance, as a steam engine, that receives and modifies energy from some natural source in order to utilize it in driving machinery.

4. Also called electric motor. Electricity. a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, as an induction motor.

5. motors, stocks or bonds in automobile companies.

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adjective

1. pertaining to or operated by a motor.

2. of, for, by, or pertaining to motor vehicles.

   motor freight.

3. designed or for automobiles, their drivers, or their passengers.

   The hotel has a motor lobby in its parking garage for picking up and discharging passengers.

4. causing or producing motion.

5. Physiology. conveying an impulse that results or tends to result in motion, as a nerve.

6. Psychology, Physiology. Also of, relating to, or involving muscular movement.

   a motor response; motor images.

verb (used without object)

• motors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• motored,
  past participle,  past
• motoring
  present participle

1. to ride or travel in an automobile; drive.

   They motored up the coast.

verb (used with object)

• motors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• motored,
  past participle,  past
• motoring
  present participle

1. Chiefly British. to drive or transport by car.

   He motored his son to school.

motor British  

/ ˈməʊtə /

noun

1. 1. the engine, esp an internal-combustion engine, of a vehicle

   2. ( as modifier )

      a motor scooter

2. Also called: electric motor. a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy by means of the forces exerted on a current-carrying coil placed in a magnetic field

3. any device that converts another form of energy into mechanical energy to produce motion

4. an indispensable part or player that moves a process or system along

5. 1. a car or other motor vehicle

   2. as modifier

      motor spares

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adjective

1. producing or causing motion

2. physiol

   1. of or relating to nerves or neurons that carry impulses that cause muscles to contract

   2. of or relating to movement or to muscles that induce movement

verb

1. (intr) to travel by car

2. (tr) to transport by car

3. informal (intr) to move fast; make good progress

4. (tr) to motivate

motor Scientific  

/ mō′tər /

1. A machine that uses energy, such as electric or chemical energy (as from burning a fuel), to produce mechanical motion.

2. See also engine

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1. Involving the muscles or the nerves that are connected to them.

2. Compare sensory

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multimotor
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• motors
  plural

Participles

• motoring
  present
• motored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• motor
  simple
• motors
  simple
• have motored
  perfect
• has motored
  perfect
• am motoring
  progressive
• are motoring
  progressive
• is motoring
  progressive
• have been motoring
  perfect progressive
• has been motoring
  perfect progressive

Past

• motored
  simple
• had motored
  perfect
• was motoring
  progressive
• were motoring
  progressive
• had been motoring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will motor
  simple
• will have motored
  perfect
• will be motoring
  progressive
• will have been motoring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of motor

1580–90; < Latin mōtor mover, equivalent to mō- (variant stem of movēre to move ) + -tor -tor

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Explanation

A motor runs your car, whizzes the blender and gets your golf cart going: it's simply a machine that converts energy into motion. Coming to us from a Latin word that means "to move," motor is certainly connected to the world of motion. Without the innovation of Ford motors, most of America wouldn't be able to get anywhere today. These days the motor is undergoing some serious revisions, as engineers look for a way to power things with less gasoline and more sunshine.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

motor motors motored motoring

The electrical motor would have a recovery capacity of 200kW compared to the current 350kW.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

The RS 5 debuts the next-generation of Audi’s Quattro permanent AWD, with a 400V electric motor baked into a torque-vectoring transaxle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

A swimming robot does not necessarily need a bulky motor or powerful mechanical parts to move through water.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026

All the while, another machine consisting of a motor, a cylindrical blade assembly and a conveyor belt swallowed logs into one end and delivered a stream of wood chips out the other.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

Pressed, one of the schools told Burry that his son suffered from inadequate gross and fine motor skills.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

In reality, the semi was inoperable, and did not have a hydrogen fuel cell or electric motors — the two most critical components of the truck.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 18, 2026

But successful designs have become more seriously contemplated only in recent years as electric motors and high-performance batteries have advanced.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

But fitting dozens of motors and sensors into a human-shaped metal frame is a complex and expensive engineering challenge.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

The new model's electric motors produce about 1,000 horsepower, allowing it to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Most people used their motors to get out of the marina, firing them up in the slip and backing out with great noise and smell— that’s how Owen put it.

From "The Voyage Of The Frog" by Gary Paulsen

The day after Ida struck, Story motored through the bayou in his boat, photographing his camp and others to reassure neighbors their cabins had survived.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

As the boat motored across the sea, Brazilian activist Thiago Avila said other nations should come to Cuba's aid.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

As the Zodiac motored into the harbor, Dillais carried fishing gear for cover.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

Arráez, meanwhile, motored up the line and through the base, then slammed into Dubón.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2025

As Pong motored on, he realized why he hadn't seen any police boats on the way.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

The rest—the models, the step and repeats, the Veuve Clicquot, the British motoring journalists complaining about the size of said sashimi—felt like a solid, traditional 9.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Average UK diesel prices have hit a record high, according to the RAC motoring organisation.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

With the war still ongoing in the Middle East, fuel prices have increased across the UK, with diesel prices hitting an all-time high, according to the RAC motoring organisation.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Micron stock has risen 18% in the past month and the latest memory-chip prices can keep it motoring higher.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

Having enjoyed a good morning's motoring in splendid weather, and having lunched well at a country inn, I had just crossed the border into Dorset.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

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