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

Etymology

Origin of motor

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

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

He said he tried to motor back on course but ran out of gas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Parkinson's disease is a chronic, degenerative neurological disorder that affects the body's motor system, often causing shaking and other difficulties in movement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

On the month, motor fuel was 3.1% cheaper in June than May, as global oil prices fell as hostilities in the Middle East cooled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said: "A fall in motor fuel prices, particularly diesel, helped ease inflation in June."

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

“Thank you for sharing Ralph,” she said above the lub-dub of Ryan’s heart, now steady as a well-oiled motor.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

The fires have also threatened a number of sensitive military and industrial sites in the area, including facilities that work on French ballistic missiles, rocket motors, and the processing of hazardous chemicals.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Recreational outboard motors back then maxed out at 300 hp, and most were much smaller.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Actuators, motors and gears are the muscles and the clearest near-term business case; beyond Schaeffler, Bosch has tied up with Neura Robotics and Magna has taken a stake in Sanctuary AI.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Dual-use items are those that could have military applications, and include rare earths used in motors and magnets, machine tools, batteries and chip-making equipment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

And when night fell and the lights of Chattana blazed across the water, and Somkit chattered on and on about orb motors and the latest speedboat models, Pong stayed silent.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

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

Max Jorgensen ate up space down the right, then Joseph Suaalii motored past Bundee Aki to put the Wallabies into dream territory.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2025

For some reason—the police cited low tide; Mafart claimed the problem was fishermen at the pickup spot—Dillais motored past Teal Park heading east.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2025

As Garvey motored out to the trawler, Peter glanced fearfully over his shoulder as if he thought someone might attack him.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

The question now is whether it remains merely a digital throwback to the past, or heralds a new era of wind in the hair motoring.

From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026

The average price of a gallon of petrol in the US stood at $4.24 on Thursday, according to the AAA motoring group.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

But a rival motoring group, the upstart American Automobile Association, feared that a race on open roads would tarnish the industry’s already-poor record on safety, and lobbied against it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 21, 2026

California drivers who are caught motoring at speeds of more than 100 mph will now face disciplinary actions imposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles — including potentially losing their driving privileges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 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

Related Words

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