turbine

noun

tur·bine | \ ˈtər-bən

How to pronounce turbine (audio)

, -ˌbīn\

Definition of turbine

: a rotary engine actuated by the reaction or impulse or both of a current of fluid (such as water, steam, or air) subject to pressure and usually made with a series of curved vanes on a central rotating spindle

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about turbine

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Did You Know?

The oldest and simplest form of turbine is the waterwheel, which is made to rotate by water falling across its blades and into buckets suspended from them. Hero of Alexandria invented the first steam-driven turbine in the 1st century A.D., but a commercially practical steam turbine wasn't developed until 1884; steam turbines are now the main elements of electric power stations. Jet engines are gas turbines. A turbojet engine uses a turbine to compress the incoming air that feeds the engine before being ejected to push the plane forward; a turboprop engine uses its exhaust to drive a turbine that spins a propeller. A wind turbine generates electricity by being turned by the wind; the largest now have vanes with a turning diameter of over 400 feet.

Examples of turbine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Massachusetts and Rhode Island officials selected two projects that could add dozens of turbines south of the island. — Joshua Miller And Jon Chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Baker adviser helped energy firms land big Mass. contracts," 28 May 2018 An employee measures a turbine at Alstom‘s facility in Rugby, U.K, in April 2014. — Michael Rapoport, WSJ, "How GE Built Up and Wrote Down $22 Billion in Assets," 13 Mar. 2019 The engines were subjected to flight tests last March when a single turbine was paired to a Boeing 747 test bed. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "GE's Enormous New Jet Engines Sound Fiercely Loud in Runway Test," 17 Jan. 2019 When electricity becomes more expensive, operators release that water through a hydroelectric turbine to give the grid some extra juice. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Battery idea: Hydroelectric pumped storage, but with bricks," 18 Nov. 2018 When a jet turbine is spinning, the tips move nearly at the speed of sound. — Jason Laughlin, Philly.com, "Deadly plane failure raises questions about safety of widely used engine," 18 Apr. 2018 Javier Zarracina These larger turbines are better able to capture wind in less gusty areas, increasing the capacity factor. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "4 maps that show who’s being left behind in America’s wind-power boom," 28 Mar. 2019 There should be a way things should fly without having propellers and (jet) turbines. — Malcolm Ritter, The Seattle Times, "Experimental plane flies silently, may lead to quiet drones," 21 Nov. 2018 The engines are mounted in separate engine turbine burst containment compartments. — Allison Barrie, Fox News, "Meet the new Air Force helicopters that can 'defy Armageddon'," 27 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'turbine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Learn More about turbine

Dictionary Entries near turbine

turbine-electric locomotive

turbine generator

Statistics for turbine

Last Updated

7 Jun 2019

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Time Traveler for turbine

The first known use of turbine was in 1842

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More Definitions for turbine

turbine

noun

English Language Learners Definition of turbine

: an engine that has a part with blades that are caused to spin by pressure from water, steam, or air

See the full definition for turbine in the English Language Learners Dictionary

turbine

noun

tur·bine | \ ˈtər-bən

\

Kids Definition of turbine

: an engine whose central driving shaft is fitted with a series of winglike parts that are spun by the pressure of water, steam, or gas

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