thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrə-stər 

variants or less commonly thrustor

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine (such as a jet engine) that develops thrust by expelling a jet of fluid or a stream of particles

Examples of thruster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As a result, according to Marcel Muse, the NTSB’s investigator in charge, the vessel lost steering, the ability to operate the bow thruster, key water pumps, and most of the vessel’s lighting and equipment essential for operations. —Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 19 Nov. 2025

Starliner suffered helium leaks and thruster issues on the way up, and NASA eventually decided to bring the spacecraft back to Earth uncrewed. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 14 Nov. 2025

These include lidar and laser communication, advanced ion thrusters for more efficient satellite manoeuvring, and microwave remote sensing for high-resolution Earth observation and weather monitoring. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 8 Nov. 2025

Golden mussels clog the thruster and decorate the underside of his dinghies. —Calmatters, Mercury News, 6 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thruster

• bluster
• buster
• cluster
• duster
• juster
• luster
• lustre
• muster
• trustor
• adjuster
• baluster
• blockbuster

Kids Definition

thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrəs-tər 

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine that produces thrust by discharging a jet of fluid or a stream of particles