propeller

[ pruh-pel-er ]

/ prəˈpɛl ər /

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See synonyms for propeller on Thesaurus.com

noun

a device having a revolving hub with radiating blades, for propelling an airplane, ship, etc.

a person or thing that propels.

the bladed rotor of a pump that drives the fluid axially.

a wind-driven, usually three-bladed, device that provides mechanical energy, as for driving an electric alternator in wind plants.

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Origin of propeller

First recorded in 1770–80; propel + -er¹

Words nearby propeller

pro patria, Propecia, propel, propellant, propellent, propeller, propeller head, propeller horsepower, propeller shaft, propeller wash, propelling pencil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use propeller in a sentence

Opportunities exist here mostly for component companies making better batteries, motors and quiet propellers.
10 investors predict MaaS, on-demand delivery and EVs will dominate mobility’s post-pandemic future|Kirsten Korosec|February 19, 2021|TechCrunch
A couple of hours later, I noticed that another propeller—not the one that had grabbed my daughter's hair—had fallen off entirely.
Amazon still hasn’t fixed its problem with bait-and-switch reviews|Timothy B. Lee|December 30, 2020|Ars Technica
Then my five-year-old daughter somehow managed to get one of the propellers stuck in her hair.
Amazon still hasn’t fixed its problem with bait-and-switch reviews|Timothy B. Lee|December 30, 2020|Ars Technica
Others use propellers—typically four of them—to pull themselves up into the sky, kind of like helicopters.
This robotic hawk can shape-shift as it flies|Rob Verger|October 28, 2020|Popular-Science

In a turbofan, the engine’s turbine drives a fan at the front of the engine, while in a turboprop it drives a propeller at the front of the engine.
Airbus Just Unveiled Three New Zero-Emission Concept Aircraft|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|September 23, 2020|Singularity Hub
Children have fantasy lives so rich and combustible that rigging them with lies is like putting a propeller on a rocket.
Why Jimmy Kimmel’s Lies Matter|Sam Harris|November 19, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“You think of something military, hostile, weaponized,” not the tiny four-propeller aircrafts used by hobbyists and researchers.
Why Drones Make Us Nervous|Josh Dzieza|May 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The triangle is “like a rubber band wound up in a toy propeller,” Turner says.
Romney’s Intrade Stock: Ready for a Bull Run?|Alex Klein|August 14, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The propeller to be worked by this novel engine was of course his long-idle screw.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
It was a fourteen-horse-power engine, water-cooled, and geared with a chain to the propeller.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
The next moment the engine began to throb regularly, and the blades of the propeller whirled.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
The big propeller-wings began to beat the air, and the sound rose to a keen buzzing.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
Swift and straight she flew and suddenly Chet roared to Lance to shut down, and the propeller groaningly stopped.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for propeller

propeller

/ (prəˈpɛlə) /

noun

a device having blades radiating from a central hub that is rotated to produce thrust to propel a ship, aircraft, etc

a person or thing that propels

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

Scientific definitions for propeller

propeller

[ prə-pĕl′ər ]

A device consisting of a set of two or more twisted, airfoil-shaped blades mounted around a shaft and spun to provide propulsion of a vehicle through water or air, or to cause fluid flow, as in a pump. The lift generated by the spinning blades provides the force that propels the vehicle or the fluid-the lift does not have to result in an actual upward force; its direction is simply parallel to the rotating shaft.

propeller

Origin of propeller

Words nearby propeller

Words related to propeller

How to use propeller in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for propeller

Scientific definitions for propeller