engine

noun en·gine \ ˈen-jən \

Definition of engine

1 obsolete

a :ingenuity

b :evil contrivance :wile

2 a :something used to effect a purpose :agent, instrument

mournful and terrible engine of horror and of crime
—E. A. Poe

b :something that produces a particular and usually desirable result

engines of economic growth

3 a :a mechanical tool: such as

(1) :an instrument or machine of war

(2) obsolete :a torture implement

b :machinery

c :any of various mechanical appliances —often used in combination

fire engine

4 :a machine for converting any of various forms of energy into mechanical force and motion; also :a mechanism or object that serves as an energy source

black holes may be the engines for quasars

5 :a railroad locomotive

6 :computer software that performs a fundamental function especially of a larger program

—

engineless

adjective

See engine defined for English-language learners

See engine defined for kids

Examples of engine in a Sentence

The car has a four-cylinder engine.
tanks, planes, and other engines of war
The tax cut could be an engine of economic growth.

Recent Examples of engine from the Web

And those converters must function with the engine’s electronic control sensors and still provide enhanced performance — with that Magnaflow sound.

— j. daniel jones, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Modern engineering creates iconic old-school Magnaflow sound," 24 Aug. 2017
The tech giant is teaming up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to create a special search engine feature to help people with depression.

— Health.com, "Depressed? Type "Depression" Into Google for a New Quiz to Help Beat It," 23 Aug. 2017
A study conducted by financial research firm Raymond James in December 2016 found that 52 percent of people start their online buying processes at Amazon, as opposed to a search engine, up from 38 percent in 2014.

— maya kosoff, The Hive, "Jeff Bezos’s Rivals Are Teaming Up to Take on Amazon," 23 Aug. 2017
The show’s tech backdrop is merely a casing for its real engine: complex, nuanced, and strikingly human relationships.

— laura bradley, HWD, "How Halt and Catch Fire Became the Most Human Drama on TV," 18 Aug. 2017
The GT version adds visibility and a storage hatch over the engine.

— ezra dyer, Popular Mechanics, "Which Ridiculously Expensive Six-Figure Supercar Is the Best?," 9 Aug. 2017
Fading Market Demand for cars with diesel engines is declining in several European markets as regulators step up scrutiny of emissions rules to improve air quality.

— christoph rauwald, Bloomberg.com, "Rebate Battle Looms as VW Trumps Daimler, BMW on Trade-In Bonus," 8 Aug. 2017
IDG Microsoft hides its search engine configurations as well.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "4 reasons why I switched from Google to Bing," 8 Aug. 2017
While the ship was also given a new boiler, the ship is still powered by the its original 75-horsepower engine, reports Tina Detelj of Connecticut's WTNH News 8.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "America’s Oldest Coal-Powered Steamboat Chugs Along," 7 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of engine

Middle English engin, from Anglo-French, from Latin ingenium natural disposition, talent, from in- + gignere to beget — more at kin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

engine Synonyms

Synonyms

machine, motor

Related Words

converter, transformer; appliance, mechanism; equipment, tool; mill

Other Mechanical Engineering Terms

centrifuge, differential, flange, lathe, linchpin, pinion, plenum, ratchet, traction

engine

verb

Definition of engine

engined; engining

transitive verb

:to equip with engines

First Known Use of engine

1841

ENGINE Defined for English Language Learners

engine

noun

Definition of engine for English Language Learners

: a machine that changes energy (such as heat from burning fuel) into mechanical motion
: the vehicle that pulls a train
: something that is used for a particular purpose

ENGINE Defined for Kids

engine

noun en·gine \ ˈen-jən \

Definition of engine for Students

1 :a mechanical tool or device

tanks, planes, and other engines of war

2 :a machine for driving or operating something especially by using the energy of steam, gasoline, or oil

3 :locomotive

History for engine

The English word engine came from the Latin word ingenium, meaning “natural talent.” At first the word engine meant “skill” or “cleverness.” In time the word came to be used for things that are products of human skills and cleverness—tools and machines, for example.