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.

---

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

---

Etymology

Origin of thruster

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

Example Sentences

The quick and dirty alternative would be to “point the thing down and fire the thruster, which would basically produce an instantaneous reentry.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 19, 2025

It was removed from service on Thursday for investigations into a problem with its bow thruster, but CalMac said this issue was not linked to the decision to scrap it.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 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 problem was probably caused by a thruster that sticks out to one side of the spacecraft, where it is not protected by the sunshield, says Racca.

From Scientific American • Oct. 10, 2023

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