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motor 1 of 2

noun

ˈmō-tər How to pronounce motor (audio)
Definition of motornext
1
as in engine
a device that changes energy into mechanical motion the device was equipped with a small electrical motor to make the gears spin

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in car
a self-propelled passenger vehicle on four wheels went shopping for a new automobile at Valley Motors

Synonyms & Similar Words

motor

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to speed
to proceed or move quickly effortlessly motored past the other runners for a first-place finish

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to drive
to travel by a motorized vehicle motoring along the highway at the speed limit

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of motor
Noun
The entire maneuver required five separate commands sent from mission control, telling the spacecraft to roll, pitch, turn and burn its motor. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 4 Sep. 2026 The study also contained hints that treating young children can improve motor function, not just stabilize it. — Jonathan Wosen, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
Eventually, Flores and Álvarez motored to the rendezvous point, where there was no sign of the Fiorella, or of the other skiff. — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026 In the fifth, Harper lined a ball into the gap in left-center field and motored around to third base for a two-run triple. — ABC News, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for motor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for motor
  1. engine
  2. car
  3. speed
  4. drive
  5. machine
  6. automobile
  7. race
  8. tool
Noun
  • Delays in testing and qualifying Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine and an explosion of the rocket’s Centaur upper stage during a ground test in 2023 eventually pushed Vulcan’s first test flight into early 2024.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Leaning on rules of engagement may do little good for Ferrari in the 2026 title fight, such is the gap to Antonelli and the form of Mercedes, which still has a car and engine upgrade in the pipeline for this season.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of engine
Noun
  • When the sequence was complete, the roof had disappeared into the rear of the car, turning this enormous Cadillac into an open-top grand tourer.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 10 Sep. 2026
  • But in other cases, cameras may be pointed toward a park that was used as an example in the demonstration, and not toward cars.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of car
Verb
  • Speaking at a joint news conference, Fujimori said Peru's participation in the coalition would speed intelligence-sharing and bolster joint action against criminal groups operating across borders.
    — Marco Aquino, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2026
  • AIs are already being used to answer decades-long unsolved complex mathematical problems, and have assisted scientists in speeding up scientific discovery and even designing new viruses.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of speed
Verb
  • Haaland, along with Martin Odegaard, was the driving force behind Norway’s run to the quarter-finals.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • If Assembly Bill 1709 is approved, social media companies would need to provide platforms to children under 16 years old that do not include personalized feeds driven by algorithms, autoplaying videos and other features.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of drive
Noun
  • Fault-tolerant machines require extensive error correction, which adds more hardware and control requirements.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Over time, as the human side of the evolving machine-flesh dyad matured, WHEEP-3 shifted its attention to the silicon partner, offering trenchant critiques of the inadequacies of machine learning.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of machine
Noun
  • The other option, pushing the Super Bowl back a week, was initially rejected because New Orleans, the host city, had booked an automobile dealers’ convention that had gobbled up most of the desirable hotel rooms.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Bugatti and Ferrari are doing just fine selling seven-figure automobiles.
    — Joel Feder, The Drive, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of automobile
Verb
  • Bangladesh has been racing to halt the outbreak's spread since March, when more than 100 children died in less than a month.
    — JULHAS ALAM, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Thomas, who signed with Seattle in free agency, raced over at just the right time to break up a deep pass intended for Doubs.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of race
Verb
  • One of the industry’s biggest challenges is tooling, as manufacturers must design, fabricate, and qualify physical dies and molds before production can begin.
    — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Hig spends his days tooling around in an old Cessna, looking for supplies, survivors or signs of life, trying to stay ahead of scavengers known as Reapers, when he is drawn outside the perimeter and finds Cima (Margaret Qualley).
    — David Faris, TheWeek, 30 July 2026
Definition of tool

Phrases Containing motor

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motleys
motor
motorboat
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Cite this Entry

“Motor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/motor. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on motor

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about motor

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