ion engine
noun
: a reaction engine deriving thrust from the ejection of a stream of ionized particles
Examples of ion engine in a Sentence
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What to read next Nuclear electric propulsion Another advance that dates back to the 1960s is electric propulsion, perhaps better known as the ion engine.
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
One is a 473-piece Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter kit ($70) with ion engine sound effects, but the pick of the three could well be the $160, 962-piece Throne Room Duel set with three Smart Minifigures of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Luke Skywalker.
—Jeremy White, Wired News, 5 Jan. 2026
The satellites separated from the rocket but at an altitude too low for the spacecraft's ion engines to overcome.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 15 July 2024
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Keith Cooper, Space.com, 27 Mar. 2026
One is a 473-piece Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter kit ($70) with ion engine sound effects, but the pick of the three could well be the $160, 962-piece Throne Room Duel set with three Smart Minifigures of Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Luke Skywalker.
—Jeremy White, Wired News, 5 Jan. 2026
The satellites separated from the rocket but at an altitude too low for the spacecraft's ion engines to overcome.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 15 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Ion engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ion%20engine. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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