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
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Recent Examples of turbine from the Web
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Dozens of wind turbines could be in place anywhere from 14 miles to 20 miles off Ocean City by 2020.
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That same month, Scotland was able to produce an electricity surplus from its wind turbines, producing 136 percent of the energy needed for its 3.3 million households.
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Among the goods shipped from German: vehicles, parts, gas turbines, engines and chemicals, according to the state Department of Economic Development.
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Alpha Q Division manufactures components and assemblies for gas turbine engines and helicopters.
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At 3:53 a.m. the condensate and feed pump failed, shutting down the steam turbine in a building behind the reactor container.
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To do so, Phuc plans to highlight all the U.S. jobs his nation supports through imports of American goods like airplanes, engine turbines and maize.
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The turbine car of Jones was cruising to victory in ’67, until a ball bearing failed on Lap 197, knocking Jones out of the race.
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All conventional power sources—from coal and gas plants to high-tech nuclear fission and potential future nuclear fusion reactors—boil down to the same basic thing: heating water into steam to spin a turbine.
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.
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.
Origin and Etymology of turbine
French, from Latin turbin-, turbo top, whirlwind, whirl, from turba confusion — more at turbid
First Known Use: 1842
Other Mechanical Engineering Terms
TURBINE Defined for English Language Learners
turbine
playDefinition of turbine for English Language Learners
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: an engine that has a part with blades that are caused to spin by pressure from water, steam, or air
TURBINE Defined for Kids
turbine
playDefinition of turbine for Students
: 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
Learn More about turbine
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See words that rhyme with turbine Spanish Central: Translation of turbine Nglish: Translation of turbine for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of turbine for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about turbine
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