heat engine

noun

Definition of heat engine

: a mechanism (such as an internal combustion engine) for converting heat energy into mechanical or electrical energy

Examples of heat engine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Required by the second law of thermodynamics, that unavoidable waste of energy severely limits the efficiency of a heat engine to below a level set by the temperatures of the baths. — Adrian Cho, Science | AAAS, "Quantum measurements could power a tiny, hyper-efficient engine," 10 July 2018 The site broke a decades-old record Sunday by surpassing a cumulative 12.5 years of operation of a heat engine. — Grant Segall, cleveland.com, "NASA Glenn shares successful demonstration of nuclear power for space (photos)," 2 May 2018 At its core, the drinking bird is a heat engine, not that unlike a steam turbine or diesel engine. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "An Absurdly Detailed Explanation of the Drinking Bird Toy," 30 Jan. 2018 These planetary heat engines sprout from relatively weak clusters of thunderstorms — waves of low pressure from the coast of Africa — and fester in the warm waters of the Atlantic. — Angela Fritz, Washington Post, "Harvey. Irma. Maria. Why is this hurricane season so bad?," 23 Sep. 2017

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

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The first known use of heat engine was circa 1895

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