engine

noun en·gine \ ˈen-jən \

Updated on: 12 May 2018

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

The New Orleans Detachment produces airframes, engines and other components for Navy aircraft, while also providing maintenance services.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "Navy petty officer living in Harvey faces child pornography charge," 4 May 2018
Driving solo, highway passing is acceptable, if noisy — both from engine and wind noise.

— kelsey mays, USA TODAY, "Review: Hyundai Accent is all work and no show," 4 May 2018
The booster, making its second flight, dropped back toward the launch site tail first, re-igniting the BE-3 engine and deploying four landing legs before settling to a landing on a concrete pad near the launch site about eight minutes after takeoff.

— william harwood, CBS News, "Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin launches rocket in smooth test flight," 29 Apr. 2018
Then Honda went and mucked it up with the Clarity, a plug-in hybrid with two motors, a gas engine, and dozens of different ways to set up the powertrain.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "This Week in the Future of Cars: Let’s Get That Win," 27 Apr. 2018
Ford has years of experience building different types of vehicles on one line, including versions of the Focus compact with gasoline engines and electric motors.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Automakers embrace robots that assist, not replace, human workers," 27 Apr. 2018
This event will focus on the display and demonstration of antique engines and working scale replicas.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Colchester Edition," 24 Apr. 2018
Engineering excellence has produced generations of powerful, responsive engines and transmissions, while its pioneering hybrid technology has taken efficiency and smoothness to ever higher levels.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Fast and luxurious: Lexus LC 500 is 2018’s Car of Texas," 21 Apr. 2018
Flak destroyed one of Old Faithful’s four engines and a second began to sputter.

— peter rowe, sandiegouniontribune.com, "In Ramona, an airplane and an aviator provide living lessons on World War II," 20 Apr. 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

engined; engining

transitive verb

: to equip with engines

Recent Examples of engine from the Web

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

First Known Use of engine

1841

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

ENGINE Defined for English Language Learners

engine

noun

: 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 \

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.