propulsion
noun
pro·pul·sion
| \ prə-ˈpəl-shən
\
\
Definition of propulsion
1
: the action or process of propelling
2
: something that propels
Examples of propulsion in a Sentence
Sailboats use wind as their source of propulsion.
Recent Examples on the Web
The regulations require riders to use the motor only to assist pedal propulsion except in areas where motor vehicle traffic is allowed. — Peter Fimrite, SFChronicle.com, "Electric bikes could soon be purring along the trails of national parks — not everyone happy," 30 Aug. 2019 In 2017, when the previous mission’s spacecraft landed, the Air Force released some of the few public images of the X-37B. The photos showed the secret vehicle guided by a particular land-propulsion system — a white Chevrolet pickup. — Alex Horton, Washington Post, "A secretive space drone just broke its own orbit record, and almost no one knows what it’s doing," 27 Aug. 2019 Nuclear reactors have been placed on ships, including to provide propulsion, for more than 50 years. — Tara Law, Time, "After a String of Nuclear Incidents, Russia Just Launched a Floating Nuclear Power Plant. Is It Safe?," 23 Aug. 2019 Rosatom, Russia’s atomic agency, said a device employing ‘‘isotopic sources of fuel on a liquid propulsion unit’’ was destroyed. — Natalia Abbakumova, BostonGlobe.com, "Two victims of mysterious Russian missile blast died of radiation sickness, report says," 21 Aug. 2019 One of the major issues for a carrier is propulsion. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China's Troubled Aircraft Carrier Proves Why It's So Hard To Build Them," 14 Aug. 2019 The Burevestnik's propulsion is, according to Novaya Gazeta and other sources, a nuclear scramjet much like that originally envisioned for the US military's SLAM program of the early 1960s. — Sean Gallagher, Ars Technica, "Russian nuclear-powered cruise missile blows up, creating “mini-Chernobyl”," 12 Aug. 2019 That’s despite advances in aerodynamic design, materials and propulsion that have brought a second supersonic era tantalizingly close. — latimes.com, "Global warming may kill the new era of supersonic travel before it even begins," 28 June 2019 The cells were not expected to produce much power during flight but instead helped serve as a test bed for future ion propulsion engines. — Amy Thompson, Smithsonian, "LightSail 2 Launches to Space to Soar on the Power of Sunshine," 25 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'propulsion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for propulsion
propulsion
noun
English Language Learners Definition of propulsion
technical
: the force that moves something forward : the force that propels something
See the full definition for propulsion in the English Language Learners Dictionary
propulsion
noun
pro·pul·sion
| \ prə-ˈpəl-shən
\
\
Kids Definition of propulsion
1
: the act or process of propelling
2
: the force that moves something forward
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