propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpe-lər 

variants or less commonly propellor

: one that propels

especially : a device that consists of a central hub with radiating blades placed and twisted so that each forms part of a helical surface and that is used to propel a vehicle (such as a ship or airplane)

Examples of propeller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Once entangled, the propellers lose mobility, causing the UAV to fall from the sky. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 6 May 2026

They are lacerated by propellers. —Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026

On a tour of the ship’s engine room, he was riveted by a mechanism automatically recording the movements of the ship’s propeller. —Alison J. Stein, thehustle.co, 1 May 2026

Airships, on the other hand, emit little carbon because their vertical lift comes from lighter-than-air gases such as helium instead of burning fuel during diagonal ascent, and their propeller propulsion can be entirely electric. —New Atlas, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

propel + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing propeller

• propeller-head
• screw propeller

Rhymes for propeller

• bestseller
• bookseller
• flagellar
• impeller
• lamellar
• micellar
• modeller
• ocellar
• patellar
• reseller
• scutellar
• beller

Kids Definition

propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpel-ər 

: a device consisting of a hub fitted with blades that is made to turn rapidly by an engine and is used especially for propelling airplanes and ships