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

Dyson famously found inspiration for its hand dryers in high-speed jet engines. —David Henkin, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Even with smoother jet engines, those cards wouldn’t have stood for long. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 5 Aug. 2025

Both sides also imposed on each other harsh trade restrictions on critical products: China on rare earths, and the U.S. on computing chips and jet engine technology. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 23 July 2025

During enrichment, this uranium hexafluoride is loaded into a centrifuge: a metal cylinder that spins at tens of thousands of revolutions per minute—faster than the blades of a jet engine. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 13 June 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