thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrə-stər 

variants or less commonly thrustor

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine (such as a jet engine) that develops thrust by expelling a jet of fluid or a stream of particles

Examples of thruster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Starliner suffered helium leaks and thruster issues on the way up, and NASA eventually decided to bring the spacecraft back to Earth uncrewed. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025

These include lidar and laser communication, advanced ion thrusters for more efficient satellite manoeuvring, and microwave remote sensing for high-resolution Earth observation and weather monitoring. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025

Golden mussels clog the thruster and decorate the underside of his dinghies. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025

This included the landing gear failed to deploy, along with reverse thrusters, which redirect engine thrust forward and are crucial for braking. —Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thruster

• bluster
• buster
• cluster
• duster
• juster
• luster
• lustre
• muster
• trustor
• adjuster
• baluster
• blockbuster

Kids Definition

thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrəs-tər 

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine that produces thrust by discharging a jet of fluid or a stream of particles