thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrə-stər 

variants or less commonly thrustor

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine (such as a jet engine) that develops thrust by expelling a jet of fluid or a stream of particles

Examples of thruster in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Additionally, though there is a stationary model, for those who do choose the propulsion version, a 67-kW (90-hp) inboard electric thruster and 10-kW (13-hp) bow thruster are used to move it around. —Adam Williams, New Atlas, 28 Oct. 2024

The mission, however, turned into a months-long odyssey when Starliner experienced helium leaks and thruster issues after launch. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Oct. 2024

The Progress 89 spacecraft, which reached the station in August on an autonomous resupply mission, fired its thrusters around 3 p.m. EST Tuesday for 5 minutes, 31 seconds, to raise the orbit of the space station. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

In October 2022, the ISS also fired its thrusters for 5 minutes and 5 seconds to dodge a piece of debris from a Russian satellite. —Chandelis Duster, NPR, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

thruster

noun

thrust·​er ˈthrəs-tər 

: one that thrusts

especially : an engine that produces thrust by discharging a jet of fluid or a stream of particles