: a chamber (as in a gas turbine or a jet engine) in which combustion occurs

called also combustion chamber

Examples of combustor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Over the last decade, GE Aerospace has upgraded the GEnx engine’s high-pressure turbine blades and combustor coating technology, more than doubling time on wing in harsh environments, as per the release. Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026 Further modifications typically include the development of fuel nozzles that let the machine run on natural gas rather than aviation fuel, and a combustor that minimizes the emission of nitrogen oxides, a major pollutant. IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2025 Catalytic stoves use a combustor for even better efficiency, whereas non-catalytic stoves use a series of air tubes, which is slightly less efficient. Hannah Jones, Country Living, 29 Sep. 2022 Collectively, these 200-blade rotors—each molded from a single piece of carbon fiber and each fitted with its own combustor, turbine, and reduction gear—would generate in excess of 130,000 pounds of thrust. David W. Freeman, Popular Mechanics, 20 May 2021 See All Example Sentences for combustor

Word History

Etymology

combust + -or entry 1

First Known Use

1945, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of combustor was in 1945

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Combustor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/combustor. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

Kids Definition

combustor

noun
: a chamber (as in a jet engine) in which combustion occurs
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster