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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

Earlier this year, the KIT team also became the first to generate electricity with a hydrogen gas turbine that does not rely on a mechanical compressor.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

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

Completed in 1923, the power plant closed in 2008, leaving the main turbine hall of its beaux-arts building abandoned—until last year, when it became a place to play padel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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

Even at this age, Eden is the most intelligent of us, and instead of joining in, he chooses to sit there tinkering with parts of an old turbine engine.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

Conventional gas turbines use a mechanical compressor to raise air pressure, a process that can consume roughly half of the turbine's power output.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026

These qualities make intermetallics valuable for demanding technologies, including jet engines, gas turbines, energy storage systems, and automotive components.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

And the same heat that drives the demand also weakens the supply: gas turbines lose output as the air warms, and in June several UK plants had to be turned down.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

GE Vernova, which makes gas turbines, this week reported an 88% increase in orders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Nuclear power plants also use this process—they boil water to create steam that turns turbines.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

• appliance
• diesel
• generator
• instrument
• motor
• power plant
• tool
• transformer
• weapon