SINCE 1828
afterburner
noun
af·ter·burn·er
| \ -ˌbər-nər
\
\
Definition of afterburner
1
: a device incorporated into the tailpipe of a turbojet engine for injecting fuel into the hot exhaust gases and burning it to provide extra thrust
2
: a device for burning or catalytically destroying unburned or partially burned carbon compounds in exhaust (as from an automobile)
Examples of afterburner in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In this tightly packed big impacter, director Michael Bay kicks in all the afterburners with turbo-thrust, quick-cut momentum. — Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Armageddon': THR's 1998 Review," 1 July 2019 The use of afterburners to harass the American aircrew marks an escalation over previous incidents over the Baltic and Black Seas. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "U.S. Accuses Russian Fighter of 'Unsafe Intercept' Over Black Sea," 5 Nov. 2018 But at speeds greater than Mach 2.2, six bypass tubes around the engine open and move air directly from the fourth stage of the compressor to the afterburner. — Erik Schechter, Popular Mechanics, "What Made the SR-71 Blackbird Such a Badass Plane," 28 Apr. 2015 Afterwards, the air is mixed with fuel in the burners, with more fuel combined to the exhaust at the afterburner stage. — Erik Schechter, Popular Mechanics, "What Made the SR-71 Blackbird Such a Badass Plane," 28 Apr. 2015 James turned on the afterburners from about three-quarters court and somehow smacked this shot away without fouling the vet, keeping the game deadlocked at 89 apiece. — Charles Curtis, For The Win, "The Block and The Crotch Punch: The 9 most memorable Cavaliers-Warriors moments," 31 May 2018 In footage released late Thursday, J-15 fighter jets were shown taking off and landing in the darkness, their afterburners glowing. — Fox News, "China aircraft carrier pilots complete first night missions," 25 May 2018 Indeed, its characteristics including the ability to cruise at Mach 1.5 without afterburners, a high degree of stealth, and advanced weapons and avionics went on to define the entire category. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "At 20 Years Old, the F-22 is Still King of the Skies," 7 Sep. 2017 The Hawkeyes are capable of grinding Penn State into a tense, low-scoring affair, but the Nittany Lions’ offense will turn the afterburners on in the fourth quarter. — The Si Staff, SI.com, "Week 4 College Football Picks: Will Any Top-10 Teams Fall?," 21 Sep. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'afterburner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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