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

Mission goals included analyzing the performance of upgrades to Starship’s propulsion system and heat-shield tiles.

From The Wall Street Journal

The flight quickly went off course because of helium leaks in the vehicle’s propulsion system and the temporary failure of five thrusters that maneuver the craft.

From The Wall Street Journal

We shared what we knew about the mechanics of how objects operate in space, flight trajectories and how to guide flying objects, propulsion, heating and materials, and the environment in space.

From Literature

The priorities outlined for France's space strategy included "developing future launchers" that are reusable, have low-cost propulsion and high-thrust engines.

From Barron's

First, there are new technologies: radar and jet propulsion in World War II, computers during the Cold War, robotics and artificial intelligence today.

From The Wall Street Journal