Pushrod
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A rigid reciprocating rod that, by its movement, transmits force to actuate a mechanism.; A rod in a piston engine that actuates rocker arms above the cylinder head.
"The cam-within-a-cam concept has existed for decades, but perfecting it for production might just add another decade to the life of the pushrod engine."
- 2 A rigid reciprocating rod that, by its movement, transmits force to actuate a mechanism.; A rod in an internal gear hub that actuates the shifting mechanism.
"An internal-gear hub with a hollow axle may be re-oiled by removing the pushrod or indicator spindle and squirting oil into the end of the axle."
- 3 A rigid reciprocating rod that, by its movement, transmits force to actuate a mechanism.; A rod used in the transmission of flight control inputs to an aircraft's control surfaces.
"On 17 August 2005, a Saab 2000, at the ramp, with controls locked, was subjected to jet blast of around 126 kt (233 km/h) from a passing B747. This resulted in the bending of the left aileron control pushrod, causing it to fail at the time of takeoff. The crew had to make an emergency landing."
Example
More examples"The cam-within-a-cam concept has existed for decades, but perfecting it for production might just add another decade to the life of the pushrod engine."
Etymology
From push + rod.
Related phrases
More for "pushrod"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.