turbo
noun
turbo
1 American
[tur-boh]
/ ˈtɜr boʊ /
noun
-
turbos
plural
-
Informal. turbocharger.
-
an automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine equipped with a turbocharger.
turbo-
2
American
turbo-
British
combining form
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of turbo1
1655–65, in sense “tornado”; 1900–05 turbo for def. 1; in part < Latin turbō top, whirlwind, in part by shortening of turbocharged ( def. ) or turbocharger
Origin of turbo-2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The turbo in-line six-cylinder engine was fine and all but, one customer complained, “it sounded like you were driving a Honda.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Some e-scooters have a "turbo mode" setting, meaning they can reach speeds of around 28mph.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Engine and turbo machinery manufacturer Everllence, formerly known as MAN Energy Solutions, provides propulsion, decarbonization and efficiency solutions for the maritime, energy and industrial sectors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
He adds that “you can launch it in the atmosphere and go up to exo-atmospherically, at altitudes where the air is too thin for turbo jets.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
A whirring sound starts—like some kind of turbo jet engine—and rises to a fever pitch.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
In June, Ford sold more F-150 pickups with its turbo- charged V-6 than those with V-8 engines for the first time since the 1980s.
From BusinessWeek ● Jul. 31, 2011
Henry Zoelly, a Swiss engineer, declared that the steam locomotive is lag ging "pitifully" in scientific progress and foresaw the development of a turbo- locomotive.
From Time Magazine Archive
The concern over the start process is centred on the increased amount of time it takes to get the turbos in the engines spooled up to the right speed for the optimum launch.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
The turbos also allow precise modulation of intake pressures for improved combustion efficiency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
At the time, F1 was dominated by naturally aspirated three-litre V8s but Renault was the first to see the potential of an equivalence formula that permitted the use of 1.5-litre turbos.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2023
No replacement for displacement, sure, but the lovely thing about turbos is how easily you can modify them to increase engine power and even improve fuel economy.
From The Verge ● May 3, 2022
The door was closed, and the Terrans braced themselves under the low roof as the engine started up with a whine of worn turbos.
From The Yillian Way by Keith Laumer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
