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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rocket engine

He compared Parallax’s plans for “parts consolidation” with SpaceX’s approach to the rocket engine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

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

"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

A rocket engine has exploded during a launch test at the UK's new spaceport in Shetland.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2024

We fired Columbia’s rocket engine shortly after we swung around behind the moon’s left edge, out of touch with the earth for the first time in three days.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

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