reciprocating engine

American  

noun

1. any engine employing the rectilinear motion of one or more pistons in cylinders.

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reciprocating engine British  

noun

1. an engine in which one or more pistons move backwards and forwards inside a cylinder or cylinders

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Etymology

Origin of reciprocating engine

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

At the same time, oil and gas is expected to see moderate growth this year, with reciprocating engine sales expected to increase, driven by strong demand in gas compression applications, Creed says.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026

Even though Mazda's rotary Wankel engine was initially dirtier than the conventional reciprocating engine, the Japanese firm managed to control its emissions by installing a thermal reactor that burns the noxious gases.

From Time Magazine Archive

Only a few days after he okayed purchase of three Boeing jet 707s for future Administration use on long trips, he pushed the sophisticated reciprocating engine up another notch in utility to Presidents.

From Time Magazine Archive

His newly acquired Joshua Hendy Iron Works had built the two-story-high, 271,000-lb. reciprocating engine, and Moore was aboard to see how it performed.

From Time Magazine Archive

His plan—not a new one, though it had never before been made available in practice—was to substitute for the ordinary reciprocating engine a machine which should at once produce a circular motion.

From The Life of Thomas, Lord Cochrane, Tenth Earl of Dundonald, Vol. II by Dundonald, Thomas Barnes Cochrane, Earl of