glow plug

noun

: a heating element in a diesel-engine cylinder to preheat the air and facilitate starting
also : a similar element for ignition in other internal combustion engines

Examples of glow plug in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The engine starts quickly (after a 10-second pause spent waiting for the glow plugs to warm the prechambers) but clatters like a big rig. Frank Markus, Car and Driver, 9 Sep. 2023 Thanks to active thermal management and ceramic glow plugs, an engine block heater is not needed until minus-22 degrees F, Chevy said. Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 2 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'glow plug.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1941, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of glow plug was circa 1941

Dictionary Entries Near glow plug

Cite this Entry

“Glow plug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glow%20plug. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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