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

From there, Link will rendezvous with Swift, take hold of it with its three grappling arms and use its thrusters to carry it to a higher orbit. — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 2 July 2026

But the big ones—Starliner’s helium leaks and overheating control thrusters—remain under investigation, said Kent Rominger, a former Space Shuttle commander and member of NASA’s independent safety panel. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 1 July 2026

Swift was not designed to be serviced in space, so lacks onboard thrusters to raise its own orbit or rendezvous with another spacecraft. — Sophia Koman, NBC news, 29 June 2026

Over two to three months, the spacecraft will use its thrusters to raise Swift into a more stable orbit. — Matthew Glasser, ABC News, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thruster

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

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