1
: a machine for converting any of various forms of energy into mechanical force and motion
also
: a mechanism or object that serves as an energy source
black holes may be the engines for quasars
2
: a railroad locomotive
3
a
: something used to effect a purpose : agent, instrument
mournful and terrible engine of horror and of crime—
E. A. Poe
E. A. Poe
b
: something that produces a particular and usually desirable result
engines of economic growth
4
a
b
: any of various mechanical appliances
—often used in combination
fire engine
c
: a mechanical tool: such as
(1)
: an instrument or machine of war
(2)
obsolete
: a torture implement
5
: computer software that performs a fundamental function especially of a larger program
engineless
adjective
Synonyms
Examples of engine in a Sentence
Noun
The car has a four-cylinder engine.
tanks, planes, and other engines of war
The tax cut could be an engine of economic growth.
Recent Examples on the WebRebecca Milzoff, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
In particular, ByteDance owns the engine of TikTok, its hyper-personalized algorithm that pulls people in and keeps them highly engaged with their feed.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
The pilot was practicing shutting down one engine in the multi-engine plane, according to a preliminary report released Friday from the National Transportation Safety Board about the March 30 plane crash at the Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida.
—Will Greenlee, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Although electric vehicles and cleaner car engines have significantly reduced pollution, transportation remains the largest source in California’s large cities.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow retains an edge over Beijing in other key areas, including submarine technology, remote sensing satellites, and aircraft engines.
—Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Formula 1 drivers aren’t the only ones who love the sounds of a screaming V-8 engine.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 22 Apr. 2024
The only motor is a mild hybrid twin turbo 4.0L liter V-8 gas engine with 550 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque, bolted to a 9 speed TRONIC automatic transmission.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2024
TikTok hopes e-commerce will become a growth engine that supplements its core advertising business.
—Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2023
So much has changed over the past decade or so, from the size and shape of the cars to engine technology and the use of smaller sensors.
—Joel Shapiro, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023
Is there any benefit to directing the executive who oversees engine procurement to procure electricity as well?
—Marc Levinson, WSJ, 28 July 2022
Vehicle telematics works by simply installing a device with a SIM card that allows remotely acquiring vehicle information like location, speed, tire pressure, and engine idle in real-time, faster and more accurately than ever before.
—Ekim Saribardak, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2021
Every decision during a race, from timing a pit stop and choosing the tires to engine settings and brake balance, is grounded in granular data.
—Luc Hennekens, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2021
From crying babies to engine turbines, the earbuds provided smooth listening and drowned out all distractions.
—Nina Huang, EW.com, 23 Aug. 2021
Boeing and Airbus have often timed all-new aircraft to engine technology that provides a step-change in efficiency, such as the GEnx turbofans that made Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner twin-aisle greener and quieter than its predecessors.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2021
Changes to the truck, from chassis to body to engine to interior, reflect consumer needs, requests and complaints.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 2 Jan. 2021
Noun
Behind Tommy is a performance piece, rooted in the engine of modern performance.
—Rebecca Milzoff, Billboard, 24 Apr. 2024
In particular, ByteDance owns the engine of TikTok, its hyper-personalized algorithm that pulls people in and keeps them highly engaged with their feed.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024
The pilot was practicing shutting down one engine in the multi-engine plane, according to a preliminary report released Friday from the National Transportation Safety Board about the March 30 plane crash at the Treasure Coast International Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida.
—Will Greenlee, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024
Although electric vehicles and cleaner car engines have significantly reduced pollution, transportation remains the largest source in California’s large cities.
—Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2024
Moscow retains an edge over Beijing in other key areas, including submarine technology, remote sensing satellites, and aircraft engines.
—Andrea Kendall-Taylor, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Formula 1 drivers aren’t the only ones who love the sounds of a screaming V-8 engine.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 22 Apr. 2024
The only motor is a mild hybrid twin turbo 4.0L liter V-8 gas engine with 550 horsepower and 538 lb-ft of torque, bolted to a 9 speed TRONIC automatic transmission.
—Tony Leopardo, The Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2024
TikTok hopes e-commerce will become a growth engine that supplements its core advertising business.
—Alexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
Verb
It’s powered by a Ukrainian Al-25T turbofan by Motor Sich, and will supposedly be followed in development by two supersonic B and C models (the latter twin-engined), which will make use of an afterburning Al-322 engine.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 30 Mar. 2023
So much has changed over the past decade or so, from the size and shape of the cars to engine technology and the use of smaller sensors.
—Joel Shapiro, Forbes, 26 Jan. 2023
Is there any benefit to directing the executive who oversees engine procurement to procure electricity as well?
—Marc Levinson, WSJ, 28 July 2022
Vehicle telematics works by simply installing a device with a SIM card that allows remotely acquiring vehicle information like location, speed, tire pressure, and engine idle in real-time, faster and more accurately than ever before.
—Ekim Saribardak, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2021
Every decision during a race, from timing a pit stop and choosing the tires to engine settings and brake balance, is grounded in granular data.
—Luc Hennekens, Forbes, 28 Oct. 2021
From crying babies to engine turbines, the earbuds provided smooth listening and drowned out all distractions.
—Nina Huang, EW.com, 23 Aug. 2021
Boeing and Airbus have often timed all-new aircraft to engine technology that provides a step-change in efficiency, such as the GEnx turbofans that made Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner twin-aisle greener and quieter than its predecessors.
—BostonGlobe.com, 14 June 2021
Changes to the truck, from chassis to body to engine to interior, reflect consumer needs, requests and complaints.
—Tribune News Service, cleveland, 2 Jan. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'engine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/engine. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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