propeller

American  

[pruh-pel-er] / prəˈpɛl ər /

noun

propellers plural

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

2. a person or thing that propels.

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

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

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propeller British  

/ prəˈpɛlə /

noun

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

2. a person or thing that propels

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propeller Scientific  

/ prə-pĕl′ər /

1. 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.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• propellers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of propeller

First recorded in 1770–80; propel + -er ¹

Explanation

A propeller is a rounded blade that rotates in a circle, helping to move a vehicle by pushing against water or air. A speed boat's propeller moves it forward by spinning against the water. Propellers use the laws of physics to propel, or drive forward, an aircraft or a boat. The basic structure of a propeller is a spinning or rotating shaft with wide, curved blades attached to it. The very simplest propellers were first used in ancient Greece, where the inventor Archimedes invented a "screw propeller" that moved water for irrigating crops.

Example Sentences

We’d seen nearly every stage of production — from “grass to glass,” as McAfee called it — when he parked his truck next to the hangar that houses his Cessna 210 Centurion propeller plane.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026

Its international airport — which only recently reopened — has the remains of propeller planes carelessly tossed to the side of the runway, their bodies riddled with bullet holes and their wings askew.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

We were running this airlift, like small propeller planes with eight seats, trying to get more than 100 people back to the mainland before twilight hits because they don’t have lighting on the runway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

The ship’s propeller forms part of a commemorative arch on a hilltop overlooking the bay.

From Slate • Jul. 22, 2025

The metal propeller blades dripped water into the bay, like sullen raindrops.

From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt

Related Words

• screw