propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpe-lər 

variants or less commonly propellor

: one that propels

especially : a device that consists of a central hub with radiating blades placed and twisted so that each forms part of a helical surface and that is used to propel a vehicle (such as a ship or airplane)

Examples of propeller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

First developed in the late 1980s for vessels maintaining Finland’s coastal fairways, these electric units permit a ship’s main propellers to act as thrusters, eliminating any need for separate thrusters, which can add drag, or extra resistance, to the hull. —Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 June 2024

Miller still tosses in his beloved bits of makeshift technology — attack gliders with propellers, parachutists on skates, chariots made of motorcycles — and peculiar, throwaway characters, such as a guy named Pissboy who seems to exist solely to feed urine to a truck’s carburetor. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 15 May 2024

On cargo ships, the engine spins the ship’s propeller, thrusting it forward or backward, while separate generators produce electricity for the vessel. —Lorraine Mirabella, Baltimore Sun, 18 Apr. 2024

It is propelled by an array of electric propellers. —Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

propel + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing propeller

• propeller-head
• screw propeller

Kids Definition

propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpel-ər 

: a device consisting of a hub fitted with blades that is made to turn rapidly by an engine and is used especially for propelling airplanes and ships