thruster

American  

[thruhs-ter] / ˈθrʌs tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that thrusts.

2. Fox Hunting. a rider who keeps in the front of the field.

3. Aerospace. a small rocket attached to a spacecraft and used to control its attitude or translational motion.

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thruster British  

/ ˈθrʌstə /

noun

1. a person or thing that thrusts

2. Also called: vernier rocket. a small rocket engine, esp one used to correct the altitude or course of a spacecraft

3. an auxiliary propeller on a ship, capable of acting athwartships

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Etymology

Origin of thruster

First recorded in 1590–1600; thrust + -er ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

thruster

When activated, the thruster produced a bright, glowing plume as its outer electrode heated up and emitted a vivid red stream of plasma.

From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026

More concerning was that the propulsion system’s thruster engines malfunctioned during the docking procedure.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2024

"The water goes through a thruster that heats it up to make superheated steam. That's how we get thrust and do station-keeping," explained chief technology officer Andrew Haslehurst.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2024

The plume of debris, in turn, acted like a rocket thruster, providing an extra push in the opposite direction, slowing the asteroid.

From Salon ● May 16, 2024

The thruster was so close now, just below and to his left, its roar the loudest thing Mark had ever heard.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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