Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

propeller

American  
[pruh-pel-er] / prəˈpɛl ər /

noun

  1. a device having a revolving hub with radiating blades, for propelling an airplane, ship, etc.

  2. a person or thing that propels.

  3. the bladed rotor of a pump that drives the fluid axially.

  4. a wind-driven, usually three-bladed, device that provides mechanical energy, as for driving an electric alternator in wind plants.

propeller British  
/ prəˈpɛlə /

noun

  1. a device having blades radiating from a central hub that is rotated to produce thrust to propel a ship, aircraft, etc

  2. a person or thing that propels

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
propeller Scientific  
/ prə-pĕl′ər /

  1. A device consisting of a set of two or more twisted, airfoil-shaped blades mounted around a shaft and spun to provide propulsion of a vehicle through water or air, or to cause fluid flow, as in a pump. The lift generated by the spinning blades provides the force that propels the vehicle or the fluid—the lift does not have to result in an actual upward force; its direction is simply parallel to the rotating shaft.

Etymology

Origin of propeller

First recorded in 1770–80; propel + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Nets snag the propellers of attacking drones, making them a cheap and surprisingly effective physical barrier.

From BBC

The balloons rise and descend using vents or propellers to find the right currents.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, they have propellers, reach speeds of 110 miles per hour and emit high-pitched buzzing sounds.

From The Wall Street Journal

“You’ve got a propeller, sure. But you could use some boosters.”

From Literature

Its two propellers spin as the plane taxis to the edge of the field.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.