ramjet
Americannoun
noun
-
A cylindrical jet propulsion engine consisting of air intake and combustion chambers into which burning fuel is injected, forcing hot air out of the rear of the engine at high pressures to provide forward thrust.
-
See Note at turbojet
Etymology
Origin of ramjet
Compare meaning
How does ramjet compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ahead of the meeting, GE Aerospace announced that researchers in its Niskayuna, New York, R&D center developed a preliminary design for a hypersonic ramjet External link engine using an in-house generative AI tool.
From Barron's ● May 19, 2026
A scramjet is a supersonic combustion ramjet involving combustion that uses the forward speed of the aircraft as part of its propulsion.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 10, 2020
HCMs use a supersonic combustion ramjet, or “scramjet,” to accelerate.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 8, 2020
Another daunting challenge is the supersonic combustion ramjet, — or “scramjet” — engine that powers hypersonic cruise missiles such as those in the Air Force’s conventional strike weapon contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2018
The floaters may propel themselves through the planetary atmosphere with gusts of gas, like a ramjet or a rocket.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.