carburetor

noun

car·​bu·​re·​tor ˈkär-bə-ˌrā-tər 

-byə-

: a mechanical apparatus for premixing vaporized fuel and air in proper proportions and supplying the mixture to an internal combustion engine

Examples of carburetor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, the 2026 version, while air-cooled and still using pushrod valve actuation like the original, uses fuel injection instead of a carburetor and modern construction, and likely produces twice the power of the original, including 120 pound-feet of torque. —William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026

Before 1980, most cars had carburetors, a car part that regulates the air-fuel mixture in an engine. —Jalen Williams, Freep.com, 24 Jan. 2026

Here's how to stay safe Carfax said modern cars use electronic fuel injection instead of a carburetor. —Jalen Williams, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

That most potent version of this car came with a 454-cubic-inch LS6 V-8 with a single four-barrel 800 CFM Holley carburetor that made 450 hp and 500 lb ft of torque. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 3 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for carburetor

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Kids Definition

carburetor

noun

car·​bu·​re·​tor ˈkär-b(y)ə-ˌrāt-ər 

: the part of an engine in which fuel (as gasoline) is mixed with air to make it burn easily