tank engine

British

noun

a steam locomotive that carries its water supply in tanks mounted around its boiler

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The original test episode, titled Down The Mine, will appear online on Friday to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the famous tank engine franchise.

From BBC

Imports of helicopters, corvettes, tank engines, missiles and airborne early warning systems will eventually be halted.

From Seattle Times

The plucky blue tank engine doesn’t appear in the debut story.

From Washington Times

“Those stories would go on to become the tales of the most iconic tank engine the world has ever known, Thomas the Tank Engine... ‘

From Reuters

You wouldn’t expect an old-fashioned locomotive to do anything except pollute the environment, but Thomas is no ordinary tank engine.

From New York Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023