tailpipe

American  

[teyl-pahyp] / ˈteɪlˌpaɪp /

Or tail pipe

noun

1. an exhaust pipe located at the rear of a motor vehicle or aircraft powered by an internal-combustion engine.

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tailpipe British  

/ ˈteɪlˌpaɪp /

noun

1. a pipe from which the exhaust gases from an internal-combustion engine are discharged, esp the terminal pipe of the exhaust system of a motor vehicle

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Etymology

Origin of tailpipe

1880–85, in sense, “suction pipe of a pump”; 1905–10 for current sense; tail ¹ + pipe ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tailpipe

SAF still produces tailpipe emissions when it is burned to power planes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

It focuses on boosting zero-emission vehicle adoption and reducing tailpipe emissions in communities dealing with some of the nation’s worst air quality and most rapidly intensifying effects from global warming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2025

While tailpipe emissions have dramatically reduced, other cars parts are producing a greater share of the pollution.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2025

For example, California implemented the nation’s first tailpipe emissions standards in the 1960s and became the first state to pass a law requiring greenhouse gas emissions reductions from vehicles in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2025

Walking up the driveway to the house, stepping over potholes full of rainwater, Joe noticed his father’s Franklin, its engine running, plumes of white exhaust billowing from the tailpipe.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown