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

As they move, they transfer angular momentum to the molecular structure, producing rotation in much the same way that moving air turns a wind turbine.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026

"Laos has so much natural resources" -- wind, hydro and solar, Narut told AFP in an interview held below the spinning blades of a 110-metre-high turbine.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Cranes have to remove the blades and the nacelles—the room-size housings that contain the turbine generators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026

It helped Flex Marine Power secure £968,000 from the UK government's Energy Entrepreneurs Fund for a team of nine people to develop a commercial turbine model.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The three skeletal warriors who’d been chasing me in the turbine room now appeared on the stairs.

From "The Titan's Curse" by Rick Riordan

For Toukta, the 18 family members she lives with and other rice and coffee farmers residing near the turbines, Monsoon has brought new roads and improved access to fresh water and healthcare.

From Barron's ● Nov. 1, 2026

Critical minerals, which are a key focus of the summit, are needed for green technologies such as batteries and wind turbines that Europe sources mostly from China but are also in plentiful stock in Canada.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The quickly growing division has benefited from sales of large power-generation sets and turbines, which are powering data-center projects amid the artificial-intelligence boom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

They are buying massive amounts of chips, computers, electrical equipment, power turbines and all the construction materials need to build data centers, such as steel, concrete, advanced plastics and rare-earth metals.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

“It was sponsored by a group of renewable energy companies, including the Fūjin Corporation, which makes turbines for wind energy.”

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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