turbine

noun

tur·​bine ˈtər-bən  -ˌbīn 

: a rotary engine actuated by the reaction or impulse or both of a current of fluid (such as water, steam, or air) subject to pressure and usually made with a series of curved vanes on a central rotating spindle

Did you know?

The oldest and simplest form of turbine is the waterwheel, which is made to rotate by water falling across its blades and into buckets suspended from them. Hero of Alexandria invented the first steam-driven turbine in the 1st century A.D., but a commercially practical steam turbine wasn't developed until 1884; steam turbines are now the main elements of electric power stations. Jet engines are gas turbines. A turbojet engine uses a turbine to compress the incoming air that feeds the engine before being ejected to push the plane forward; a turboprop engine uses its exhaust to drive a turbine that spins a propeller. A wind turbine generates electricity by being turned by the wind; the largest now have vanes with a turning diameter of over 400 feet.

Examples of turbine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once the meter started ticking, nobody cared who spun the turbines, only who did it cheapest. —Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Farmers across Iowa have put turbines on their land as a way to earn more income. —Benji Jones, Vox, 22 Apr. 2025

In a nuclear reactor, the fission reactions fueled by the uranium in those rods emit heat that is used to create hot water or steam to drive turbines and generate electricity. —Gerald Frankel, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2025

Driving a Formula Car Upside Down (UPDATE) Instead of high speed downforce, the McMurtry fan car uses twin electric turbines that spin at 23,000 RPM underneath the car in a sort of hellish lawnmower arrangement. —New Atlas, 12 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin turbin-, turbo top, whirlwind, whirl, from turba confusion — more at turbid

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing turbine

• gas turbine
• steam turbine
• wind turbine

Kids Definition

turbine

noun

tur·​bine ˈtər-bən 

-ˌbīn

: an engine whose central driving shaft is fitted with a series of blades spun around by the pressure of a fluid (as water, steam, or air)

Etymology

from French turbine "turbine," from Latin turbin-, turbo "top (for spinning), whirlwind"