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

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

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

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

It is the heaviest mass-market car in the world, and, being all electric, it did not have a single molecule of carbon dioxide flaring from the tailpipe.

From Slate • Jun. 22, 2025

“It is more important than ever that California and all other states that rely on Clean Air Act waivers continue to cut tailpipe pollution through homegrown, health-protective policies.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2025

There wasn’t much to read about in the paper—in the Chat Line section a pet ferret had gotten stuck in the tailpipe of a car.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos