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

They are the world’s two largest gas turbine manufacturers by firm orders since 2016, each having booked about 150 gigawatts through the first half of 2026, according to BloombergNEF.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

A wind turbine installation vessel called the Wind Orca collided with a container ship berthed at the Port of Tyne.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

Mummery's turbine is ultra compact and low cost compared to these giant machines.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

“There are only a few companies globally capable of producing engine parts for the ‘hot section’ of a gas turbine used to create electricity.”

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

He imagined her as, say, Mrs. Cobb, swooping out from behind her picket fence with eyes aflame, calling down the turbine perflant upon a minister’s son who threw rocks.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

One advantage for Siemens Energy is its greater exposure to small- and medium-frame gas turbines, which are generally faster to deploy than the largest heavy-frame machines, said Atin Jain, an analyst at BloombergNEF.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Local regulators say the turbines will meet air quality standards.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

His colleagues agree, also blaming the turbines -- as well as competition from Indian trawlers.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

Elon Musk's company will use 41 methane gas turbines to help power the site, which activists say could "significantly increase" local air pollution, external.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

“Sorry,” I yelled to Beck above the scream of the chopper’s turbines.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

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