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

Etymology

Origin of turbine

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

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

Stronger and more ductile intermetallics may support the development of improved turbine blades, aircraft engines, energy systems, defense technologies, and materials designed for use in space.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

By the end of the year, he expects to already have half of the company’s 2031 turbine output under contract.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

From the top of a wind turbine nearly 100 metres above the ground, Grzegorz Witek, a coal miner, gazes at the horizon.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Thousands of tonnes of wind turbine blade material are expected to require replacement by 2030, leading to the question of what to do with them.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 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

Such systems could potentially store electricity from solar panels or wind turbines while also removing salt from seawater.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

AI hyperscalers, which plan to spend upward of $700 billion this year, are turbo-charging demand for computer chips, construction equipment, gas turbines and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Mr. Starritt packs a lot into his sweeping novel—from underwater turbines to hydrogen-powered rockets, financial meltdowns to renewable-energy startups, Japanese gangsters to Italian cuisine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

One of Europe's biggest onshore wind farms is to be flattened and rebuilt with fewer, taller turbines, its owner has announced.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Why, then, had Curtain made his turbines so extravagant if he didn’t intend to use that extra power?

From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart

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