Turbine

//ˈtɜː.baɪn// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Any of various rotary machines that use the kinetic energy of a continuous stream of fluid (a liquid or a gas) to turn a shaft.

    "Upstream from the house is a watermill, cased in gleaming white weather-boarding, which has been restored to working order. Near by is the water-driven turbine which [Rudyard] Kipling had installed in 1902 to light his mansion with electricity."

  2. 2
    rotary engine in which the kinetic energy of a moving fluid is converted into mechanical energy by causing a bladed rotor to rotate wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms
driverenginefanfreightergeneratorgyroscope

Example

More examples

"The vegetation and the murmuring water calm my ardent mind. A wind turbine rotates behind the trees."

Etymology

Borrowed from French turbine, from Latin turbō, turbinem (“tornado, whirlwind; crowd”).

Related phrases

Francis turbineJonval turbineKaplan turbineRushton turbineTesla turbineTurgo turbineTyson turbineexpansion turbinegas turbineram air turbinereaction turbinesteam turbine

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.