turbine

noun

tur·bine | \ ˈtər-bən

, -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

According to the analysis, turbines and solar panels might be skyrocketing a bit too much. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "We Might Not Have Enough Materials for All the Solar Panels and Wind Turbines We Need," 13 Dec. 2018 The on-site turbines also are used on college campuses as a way to keep buildings running when the grid goes dark. — Richard Clough, BostonGlobe.com, "GE speeds disposals on $3.25b sale of gas-engine business," 25 June 2018 And Toshiba will develop the key components (mainly the turbine). — David Roberts, Vox, "That natural gas power plant with no carbon emissions or air pollution? It works.," 1 June 2018 Dominion Energy , Virginia’s biggest utility, plans to spend $300 million to build the two turbines 27 miles off the coast. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "A Green Logrolling Classic," 18 Nov. 2018 Lego launched the kit during NYC Climate Week—going on now—though the company says it and Vestas first had the idea for the turbine ten years ago. — Liz Stinson, Curbed, "New Lego kit builds a working 3-foot wind turbine," 28 Sep. 2018 The cowling for the left-hand turbine is missing, just like Luke’s, and there’s a bit of damage on the nose. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "I couldn’t test-drive Radio Flyer’s Star Wars landspeeder, but my 5-year-old did," 6 July 2018 Facility Manager Keith Johnston, standing inside a wind turbine, explains how the turbine works May 24 at Idaho Wind Partners' Yahoo Creek project south of Hagerman. — Heather Kennison, idahostatesman, "What's it like to rely on renewable energy? Look at life in Idaho.," 26 June 2018 The researchers attempt to estimate the climate benefit of these turbines for comparison. — Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, "Wind power makes the ground warmer even as it cools the planet," 7 Oct. 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.