rocket engine

American  

noun

1. a reaction engine that produces a thrust due to an exhaust consisting entirely of material, as oxidizer, fuel, and inert matter, that has been carried with the engine in the vehicle it propels, none of the propellant being derived from the medium through which the vehicle moves.

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rocket engine British  

noun

1. Also called: rocket motor.  a reaction engine in which a fuel and oxidizer are burnt in a combustion chamber, the products of combustion expanding through a nozzle and producing thrust

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rocket engine Scientific  

1. An engine used to produce a jet of hot gases to propel a rocket. The jet is produced by combustion of a fuel with other chemicals stored in the rocket. Since they do not rely on the oxygen in the atmosphere for combustion, rocket engines can operate in space.

2. Compare turbojet

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Etymology

Origin of rocket engine

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rocket engine

Because GRCop-42 has high thermal conductivity while maintaining its strength at extreme temperatures, it is used in aerospace systems, including liquid rocket engine combustion chambers.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

The 2,850-acre laboratory complex was formerly used for rocket engine testing and nuclear research and is currently undergoing a state-led environmental cleanup.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026

"This large rocket engine will slow down the ISS, and enable it to have a precise re-entry over the Pacific Ocean, far from land, people or any other potential hazards," Horack explained.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

In 2019, five Russian nuclear engineers died in a rocket engine explosion which some Russian and Western experts said was linked to the Burevestnik.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025

Not if we work on building a better rocket engine.

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden