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

However, technical issues including helium leaks and thruster malfunctions meant that the Starliner was unsafe for their return.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 24, 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

Amazonians liken the power of the thruster to a flap of a dragonfly’s wings, which, fired for hours in the vacuum of space, can overcome gravity’s pull.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 24, 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