centrifugal

adjective cen·trif·u·gal \ sen-ˈtri-fyə-gəl , -ˈtri-fi- , especially British ˌsen-tri-ˈfyü-gəl \

Updated on: 28 Mar 2018

Definition of centrifugal

1 : proceeding or acting in a direction away from a center or axis

centrifugal acceleration of a body

2 : using or acting by centrifugal force

a centrifugal pump

3 : efferent

centrifugal nerves of the heart

4 : tending away from centralization : separatist

centrifugal tendencies in modern society

—

centrifugally

play \-gə-lē\ adverb

See centrifugal defined for English-language learners

See centrifugal defined for kids

Recent Examples of centrifugal from the Web

Two forces enable satellites to remain in orbit: the centrifugal punch that blasted it into space and Earth's gravitational pull.

— ned rozell, Anchorage Daily News, "Satellites: Streaking, manmade lights in the sky," 25 Mar. 2018
This supercharger, which is located downstream of the turbocharger, uses a centrifugal flow compressor—like the compressor side of a turbo—driven by a 48-volt electric motor.

— csaba csere, Car and Driver, "Nine Things You Must Know about the New Mercedes Inline-Six," 20 Mar. 2018
The dynamic became centrifugal, with Democrats and Republicans becoming ever more defined by the issue.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Stances on guns, immigration reflect the sea change in cultural politics," 1 Mar. 2018
The iMac Pro also comes with a new dual centrifugal fan system that generates more airflow, Apple said when unveiling it in June.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "Apple's 'Most Powerful Mac Ever Made' Finally Has a Release Date," 12 Dec. 2017
In movement politics, the forces are all centrifugal, encouraging splits into smaller and smaller factions obsessed with single issues and practicing rituals of ideological one-upmanship.

— david frum, The Atlantic, "Challenging the Dogmas of Right and Left," 18 Sep. 2017
In movement politics, the forces are all centrifugal, encouraging splits into smaller and smaller factions obsessed with single issues and practicing rituals of ideological one-upmanship.

— david frum, The Atlantic, "Challenging the Dogmas of Right and Left," 18 Sep. 2017
In movement politics, the forces are all centrifugal, encouraging splits into smaller and smaller factions obsessed with single issues and practicing rituals of ideological one-upmanship.

— mark lilla, WSJ, "The Liberal Crackup," 11 Aug. 2017
In movement politics, the forces are all centrifugal, encouraging splits into smaller and smaller factions obsessed with single issues and practicing rituals of ideological one-upmanship.

— mark lilla, WSJ, "The Liberal Crackup," 11 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'centrifugal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

centrifugal and Science

Centrifugal force is what keeps a string with a ball on the end taut when you whirl it around. A centrifuge is a machine that uses centrifugal force. At the end of a washing machine's cycle, it becomes a weak and simple centrifuge as it whirls the water out of your clothes. Centrifuges hundreds of thousands of times as powerful are essential to nuclear technology and drug manufacturing. Part of an astronaut's training occurs in a centrifuge that generates force equal to several times the force of gravity (about like a washing machine) to get them used to the forces they'll encounter in a real space mission.