rocket engine

noun

1. a reaction engine that produces a thrust due to an exhaust consisting entirely of material, as oxidizer, fuel, and inert matter, that has been carried with the engine in the vehicle it propels, none of the propellant being derived from the medium through which the vehicle moves.

rocket engine

noun

1. a reaction engine in which a fuel and oxidizer are burnt in a combustion chamber, the products of combustion expanding through a nozzle and producing thrust Also calledrocket motor

rocket engine

1. An engine used to produce a jet of hot gases to propel a rocket. The jet is produced by combustion of a fuel with other chemicals stored in the rocket. Since they do not rely on the oxygen in the atmosphere for combustion, rocket engines can operate in space.
2. Compare turbojet

Word History and Origins

Origin of rocket engine¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

A rocket manufacturer has successfully tested rocket engines at a space port on Shetland.

From BBC

During a test of a Harpoon anti-ship missile, its booster — the rocket engine that launches the missile — was “activated” but not ignited, and then it could not be deactivated, the Danish military said.

From New York Times

The Talon, powered by a liquid-fuel rocket engine, ended its flight by descending into the ocean as planned.

From Seattle Times

Murphy retired from racing in the late 1970s and became a buyer for Rocketdyne, a rocket engine company in Los Angeles.

From Seattle Times

An accurate replica of the rocket engine will be launched and actors will depict members of Butler’s fictional Earthseed community from her “Parable” novels.

From Los Angeles Times