: a jet engine that consists essentially of a hollow tube without mechanical components and depends on the aircraft's speed of flight to compress the air which is supplied to a burner from which hot gases are discharged rearward
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Pros: Faster airflow translates to a faster aircraft compared to one using a ramjet system.
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Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2025
The noise from the ramjet must have been unbearable for the pilot.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2015
Traditional ramjet engines work by relying on the aircraft's speed to scoop up and compress air into the engine.
—New Atlas, 20 Dec. 2024
Sometime this year, the X-51, developed by a consortium that includes the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and Boeing, will test its air-breathing scramjet—or supersonic combustion ramjet—engine to achieve Mach 7, which is 10 times as fast as a conventional airliner.
—Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2010
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Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2025
The noise from the ramjet must have been unbearable for the pilot.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Feb. 2015
Traditional ramjet engines work by relying on the aircraft's speed to scoop up and compress air into the engine.
—New Atlas, 20 Dec. 2024
Sometime this year, the X-51, developed by a consortium that includes the U.S. Air Force, NASA, and Boeing, will test its air-breathing scramjet—or supersonic combustion ramjet—engine to achieve Mach 7, which is 10 times as fast as a conventional airliner.
—Erico Guizzo, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Apr. 2010
See All Example Sentences for ramjet
Cite this Entry
“Ramjet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ramjet. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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ramjet
noun
ram·jet
ˌram-ˌjet 
: a jet engine that depends on the speed of flight for the compression of the air it takes in rather than using a mechanical compressor
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