propellant

American  

[pruh-pel-uhnt] / prəˈpɛl ənt /

noun

1. a propelling agent.

2. the charge of explosive used to propel the projectile from a gun.

3. a substance, usually a mixture of fuel and oxidizer, for propelling a rocket.

4. a compressed inert gas that serves to dispense the contents of an aerosol container when the pressure is released.

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propellant British  

/ prəˈpɛlənt /

noun

1. something that provides or causes propulsion, such as the explosive charge in a gun or the fuel in a rocket

2. the gas used to carry the liquid droplets in an aerosol spray

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Other Word Forms

• multipropellant noun

Etymology

Origin of propellant

First recorded in 1915–20; propel + -ant

Example Sentences

Two Iranian ships have been sailing from China with tons of sodium perchlorate, a main ingredient for producing solid propellant for ballistic missiles, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a speech on Wednesday, Healey will confirm plans to restart the production of energetics - explosives, pyrotechnics and propellants - in the UK.

From BBC

Demand for propellants and energetic materials continues to increase as European governments rush to stockpile ammunition and other materials linked to traditional defense capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

The plant will have an annual production capacity of around 300,000 modular propellant charges and will produce an additional 200 tons of propellant powder to meet Romania’s demand, Rheinmetall said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Experts say a key hurdle SpaceX has yet to clear is transferring propellant to Starship while it is in Earth’s orbit so it can reach the moon.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ammunition
• bomb
• booby trap
• detonator
• dynamite
• gunpowder
• mine
• missile
• munition
• powder