turbine

American  

[tur-bin, -bahyn] / ˈtɜr bɪn, -baɪn /

noun

• turbines
  plural

1. any of various machines having a rotor, usually with vanes or blades, driven by the pressure, momentum, or reactive thrust of a moving fluid, as steam, water, hot gases, or air, either occurring in the form of free jets or as a fluid passing through and entirely filling a housing around the rotor.

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turbine British  

/ ˈtɜːbɪn, -baɪn /

noun

1. any of various types of machine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate. The moving fluid may be water, steam, air, or combustion products of a fuel See also reaction turbine impulse turbine gas turbine

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turbine Scientific  

/ tûr′bĭn,-bīn′ /

1. Any of various machines in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid, such as water, steam, or gas, is converted to rotary motion. Turbines are used in boat propulsion systems, hydroelectric power generators, and jet aircraft engines.

2. See also gas turbine

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• turbines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of turbine

1815–25; < French < Latin turbin-, stem of turbō something that spins, e.g., top, spindle, whirlwind; akin to turbid

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Explanation

A turbine is a device used to generate energy as a flowing liquid causes a bladed rotor to move around. A water wheel is a turbine. There are many ways we get energy, such as fossil fuels and solar power. Another is a gadget called a turbine. A turbine uses the power of water (or another liquid) to move a wheel, generating energy. A windmill is also an example of a turbine, though it uses wind instead of liquid. Other turbines use gas or steam to generate energy. Ever since the 1800s, engineers have used many sorts of turbines to help satisfy our ever-increasing energy needs.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

turbine turbines

“There are only a few companies globally capable of producing engine parts for the ‘hot section’ of a gas turbine used to create electricity.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

An offshore wind turbine facility is to be created at the Port of Montrose, supporting about 80 jobs.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

This is a secondary combustion system that injects raw fuel directly into a jet engine's exhaust stream behind the turbine, which gives the jet a big short-term boost in thrust.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

They expect Doosan to secure additional gas turbine orders as the multi-phase energy project advances.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Water swamped the turbine buildings on the ocean side of the reactors, and climbed 18 feet—about two stories—up the outsides of units 1 through 4.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Planning documents for an outline planning application detail a "temporary ancillary energy centre" with gas turbines that have a maximum generating capacity of 49.9MW.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Data-center developers could also move more quickly toward power sources like fuel cells or natural-gas turbines that provide electricity directly to facilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

“By modernizing and upgrading turbines, steam generators, and digital control systems at operating plants, uprates deliver substantial capacity gains without the multi-year timelines or interconnection bottlenecks associated with greenfield construction,” the blog post noted.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

The Berwick project, set to be one of the largest offshore wind farms in the world, will see up to 307 turbines generating enough electricity to power up to six million homes.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The dam used the water that ran through it to turn big fans called turbines that would generate electricity.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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