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

In general, the turbine's generator grew in parallel. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Wind power prices now lower than the cost of natural gas," 17 Aug. 2019 As the new turbines go up, the existing ones will be decommissioned next April. — Washington Post, "Wyoming wind farm making same power with 80% fewer turbines," 14 Aug. 2019 That includes building the turbines, roads connecting them and a substation for energy conversion. — Orla Mccaffrey, Dallas News, "A wind farm that can power 168,000 homes blows into Central Texas," 13 Aug. 2019 For years, his research had zeroed in on issues both broad, like management credibility, and detailed, like a flawed fan blade inside GE’s turbines, that kept proving prescient. ... — David Benoit, WSJ, "GE’s Nemesis: An Eerily Prescient Bear," 7 June 2019 Gamble and his team were already releasing the maximum amount of water possible, about 40,000 cfs, through the eight massive turbines in the dam’s power plant. — John D'anna, azcentral, "For a while in 1983, sheets of plywood were all that kept the mighty Glen Canyon Dam from overflowing," 18 July 2019 The turbine is expected to be back in Hartford on or before Aug. 15. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Regional Hartford trash plant suffers another equipment failure, forcing trash shipments to New York and Pennsylvania," 17 July 2019 The hot water from the ground (which is piped to homes for heating) drives the turbines that generate electricity. — Rick Steves, USA TODAY, "Geothermal baths and beyond: Rick Steves' guide to Iceland's steamiest sites," 25 June 2019 Since October 2017, the five turbines have been operating as the world’s largest testbed for floating wind technology. — Michael J. Coren, Quartz, "Floating wind farms just became a serious business," 22 June 2019

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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Dictionary Entries near turbine

turbine-electric locomotive

turbine generator

Statistics for turbine

Last Updated

13 Sep 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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to spread over or through

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