propulsion

American  

[pruh-puhl-shuhn] / prəˈpʌl ʃən /

noun

1. the act or process of propelling.

2. the state of being propelled.

3. a means of propelling; propelling force, impulse, etc.

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propulsion British  

/ prəˈpʌlʃən, prəˈpʌlsɪv /

noun

1. the act of propelling or the state of being propelled

2. a propelling force

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Other Word Forms

• propulsive adjective
• propulsory adjective

Etymology

Origin of propulsion

1605–15; < Latin prōpuls ( us ) (past participle of prōpellere to propel ) + -ion

Example Sentences

Artemis 2 will then follow a so-called "free-return" trajectory, designed to use the Moon's gravity to send it back towards Earth without propulsion.

From Barron's

This understates the reality: Experts have concluded that Mr. White’s exotic propulsion doesn’t work.

From The Wall Street Journal

This type of propulsion is well known in aerospace engineering, where hydrogen peroxide is used as a fuel to launch spacecraft, but it had not previously been identified in a biological system.

From Science Daily

New research from Arizona State University shows that bacteria can travel in unexpected ways even when their usual propulsion system fails.

From Science Daily

Along with aircraft, Beta makes hybrid propulsion systems and charging infrastructure for eVTOLs.

From Barron's