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turbofan

American  
[tur-boh-fan] / ˈtɜr boʊˌfæn /

noun

  1. a jet engine having a large impeller that takes in air, part of which is used in combustion of fuel, the remainder being mixed with the products of combustion to form a low-velocity exhaust jet.


turbofan British  
/ ˈtɜːbəʊˌfæn /

noun

  1. Also called: high bypass ratio engine.  a type of by-pass engine in which a large fan driven by a turbine and housed in a short duct forces air rearwards around the exhaust gases in order to increase the propulsive thrust

  2. an aircraft driven by one or more turbofans

  3. the ducted fan in such an engine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

turbofan Scientific  
/ tûrbō-făn′ /
  1. A type of gas turbine in which the fan driving air into a turbojet also forces additional air around the outside of the turbine, combining it with the exhaust of the turbojet to provide thrust. Turbofans are quieter than simple turbojets and somewhat more fuel efficient, and are widely used in commercial aircraft.


Etymology

Origin of turbofan

First recorded in 1940–45; turbo- + fan 1

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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:

Professor Doug Drury, who teaches aviation at CQUniversity Australia, wrote in an article for The Conversation this summer that Boeing planes have turbofan engines, which can be severely damaged in a bird strike.

From BBC Dec. 29, 2024

They employed a turbofan in the condensation chamber to increase the recovery of desorbed water to more than 90%.

From Science Daily Dec. 5, 2023

It is equipped with four turbofan engines capable of producing 40,440 pounds of thrust each, with a maximum gross takeoff weight of 585,000 pounds, according to the Air Force.

From Scientific American Sep. 14, 2023

The airline, which also missed second-quarter profit and revenue estimates, has also struggled with pilot attrition and geared turbofan engine issues.

From Reuters Aug. 3, 2023

The GEnx turbofan wasn’t an easy sell to GE management either.

From Seattle Times Jan. 13, 2020

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