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

Example Sentences

It found that crew members had believed there were problems with the ship's thruster when they could not change the vessel's direction.

From BBC • Nov. 29, 2024

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 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

Borisov said the spacecraft’s thruster fired for 127 seconds instead of the planned 84 seconds, causing it to crash, and a government commission will investigate the glitch.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 22, 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