jet engine

noun

: an engine that produces motion as a result of the rearward discharge of a jet of fluid

specifically : an airplane engine that uses atmospheric oxygen to burn fuel and produces a rearward discharge of heated air and exhaust gases see airplane illustration

Examples of jet engine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Weinberg wrote that the reactor would need to reach temperatures around fifteen hundred degrees Fahrenheit in order to power a jet engine. —Colin Jones, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025

Put simply, conventional supersonic engines are jet engines that are capable of reconfiguring themselves to operate at air speeds beyond Mach 1. —New Atlas, 14 Dec. 2025

All other commercial jets have an air supply system that can expose cabins to contamination with heated jet engine oil, hydraulic fluid and jet fuel, according to Harris's suit. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025

Unlike conventional jet engines, DualityTM combines a turbogenerator core with multiple power-dense electric motors and separates the compressor and fan stages from the gas turbine. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1933, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

jet engine

noun

: an engine that produces motion as a result of the rearward discharge of a jet of fluid

especially : an aircraft engine that uses atmospheric oxygen to burn fuel and produces a rearward discharge of heated air and exhaust gases