engine

noun

en·gine | \ ˈen-jən

Definition of engine

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 obsolete

a : ingenuity

b : evil contrivance : wile

2a : 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

3a : 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

engine

verb

engined; engining

Definition of engine (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to equip with engines

Other Words from engine Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about engine

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Examples of engine in a Sentence

Noun

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 on the Web: Noun

The index also examines where the model’s engines and transmissions come from, and how many U.S. factory workers the parent automaker directly employs relative to vehicle sales. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al.com, "Four of the top 10 American-made cars are from Alabama," 3 July 2019 Cal Fire is anticipating yet more resources — including new helicopters, engines and firefighters — that the governor has budgeted for. — Katy Steinmetz/ukiah, Time, "California Is Stepping Up Fire Prevention Efforts—But It Hasn't Fixed One of the Biggest Problems," 2 July 2019 Paper logs could be fudged pretty easily, but not the ELD, which is wired to the truck’s engine and has a display screen visible to the driver. — Richard Lardner, Twin Cities, "Trump administration moves to ease drive-time rules for truckers," 1 July 2019 Paper logs could be fudged pretty easily, but not the ELD, which is wired to the truck's engine and has a display screen visible to the driver. — Richard Lardner, chicagotribune.com, "Trump administration seeks to relax limits on truckers’ drive time," 1 July 2019 Bytedance upgraded the app’s recommendation engine and added features, including letting users respond to videos, giving them more of a sense of participation. — Yoko Kubota, WSJ, "TikTok’s Videos Are Goofy. Its Strategy to Dominate Social Media Is Serious.," 29 June 2019 As the new top-line model, it was given a war chest of technologies and luxurious perks, not the least of which is a 450-horsepower, turbocharged V-6 engine and a 36-gallon fuel tank. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "$74,000 Ford F-150? Dearborn’s best, but love is blind," 22 June 2019 The point could become moot in 2021 when the series introduces a more powerful engine and push-to-pass could be eliminated. — Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Colton Herta is young and smooth and on the pole for IndyCar at Road America," 22 June 2019 For more serious professional-level pressure-washing jobs, consider the Simpson PowerShot gas pressure washer powered by a Honda GX200 engine and industrial triplex plunger pumps with PowerBoost technology and five quick-connect nozzle tips. — Paige Szmodis, Popular Mechanics, "Obliterate Grime With Amazon's Pressure Washer Sale," 18 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Why can't engine manufacturers come up with an engine similar to what is on the more fuel-efficient aircraft — for example, producing a version of the engine that is on a 787 or a 777 — to fit and safely propel the 747? — John Cox, USA TODAY, "Ask the Captain: Can the 747 be saved?," 29 Oct. 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.