reaction engine

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noun Aeronautics, Rocketry.

an engine that produces power as a reaction to the momentum given to gases ejected from it, as a rocket or jet engine.

Origin of reaction engine

First recorded in 1865–70

Also called reaction motor.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for reaction engine

rocket, fanjet, pulsejet, ramjet, turbofan, turbojet, turboprop

Examples from the Web for reaction engine

Historical Examples of reaction engine

It revolved by the agency of steam, and was of the form that we should now call a reaction-engine.
History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science
John William Draper

British Dictionary definitions for reaction engine

reaction engine

reaction motor

noun

an engine, such as a jet or rocket engine, that ejects gas at high velocity and develops its thrust from the ensuing reaction

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