catalytic converter

noun

: an automobile exhaust-system component containing a catalyst that causes conversion of harmful gases (such as carbon monoxide and uncombusted hydrocarbons) into mostly harmless products (such as water and carbon dioxide)

Examples of catalytic converter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Two people were arrested and two suspects remain at large for multiple catalytic converter thefts in the Los Feliz area early Friday morning, according to Los Angeles police. —Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2026

But if Cunningham and Duren are the pistons for this car, Thompson is the catalytic converter. —Hunter Patterson, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026

There’s also a spherical catalytic converter fitted with a heat shield, replacing the flat expansion chamber used on the off-road models, almost certainly to meet emissions requirements. —New Atlas, 13 Feb. 2026

Unlike catalytic converters, a criminal doesn’t have to lift the vehicle to do the job, and sedans and compacts are spared no more than lifted pickups and SUVs. —Adam Ismail, The Drive, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for catalytic converter

• diverter
• divertor
• inverter
• reverter

Kids Definition

catalytic converter

noun

: a device containing a catalyst for changing automobile exhaust into mostly harmless products