propellant
adjective
pro·pel·lant
| \ prə-ˈpe-lənt
\
\
variants:
or less commonly propellent
Definition of propellant
(Entry 1 of 2)
: capable of propelling
propellant
noun
variants:
or less commonly propellent
Definition of propellant (Entry 2 of 2)
: something that propels: such as
a
: an explosive for propelling projectiles
b
: fuel plus oxidizer used by a rocket engine
c
: a gas kept under pressure in a bottle or can for expelling the contents when the pressure is released
Examples of propellant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Luigi T. De Luca, an Italian academic and a leading expert in solid propellant rockets, said in an email. — Hiroko Tabuchi, New York Times, "A Cheaper Airbag, and Takata’s Road to a Deadly Crisis," 26 Aug. 2016Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
While most flocking sprays are safe to handle, some have been known to contain propellants, solvents, and other potentially harmful chemicals if ingested. — Country Living Staff, Country Living, "Here's How to Flock a Christmas Tree, if You've Always Dreamed of a White Christmas," 29 Aug. 2019 According to the Russian ministry of defense, a liquid propellant rocket engine had gone awry and exploded. — Ankit Panda, The New Republic, "The Absurd Strategy Behind Russia’s Nuclear Explosion," 21 Aug. 2019 First word of the explosion came from the Russian Defense Ministry, which initially said the Aug. 8 blast of a liquid-propellant rocket engine killed two people and injured six others. — Vladimir Isachenkov, chicagotribune.com, "The mysterious explosion in Russia involving a ‘Skyfall’ nuclear missile that’s evoking memories of Chernobyl," 14 Aug. 2019 Russian authorities had previously said two people had been killed in the incident and that a nearby city had reported a rise in radiation levels when a liquid propellant rocket engine blew up at a testing site in the Arkhangelsk region on Thursday. — NBC News, "Russian nuclear agency says five killed in accident at test site," 10 Aug. 2019 The engineers on duty had problems loading the liquid propellants. — Hillary Davis, Daily Pilot, "Costa Mesa man’s technology went to the moon and back throughout the Apollo era," 2 Aug. 2019 Visit the Samuel Oschin Pavilion to see the space shuttle Endeavour, which flew the first service mission to the Hubble Telescope, and an external tank, which carried propellant for the orbiter. — Currie Engel, Time, "8 Places You Can Visit to Celebrate Apollo 11's 50th Anniversary This Week," 15 July 2019 The oxygen could provide breathable air; oxygen and hydrogen could also be used as rocket propellant. — Kenneth Chang, New York Times, "Why Everyone Wants to Go Back to the Moon," 12 July 2019 Although the rocket will have enough propellant to try a landing after pushing the four-ton satellite into its orbit, SpaceX will not attempt to recover the booster. — Eric Berger, Ars Technica, "SpaceX has made its last launch before Falcon Heavy attempt [Updated]," 31 Jan. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'propellant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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