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

That’s comparable to removing the tailpipe pollution of 100 cars for one year.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026

There are no tailpipe emissions, and electric lorries also draw their power increasingly from renewable sources of energy.

From BBC • Sep. 3, 2025

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

Trey says he needs money for a new tailpipe.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas