noun
engine
EHND-zhihn
noun
1
A machine that converts fuel or energy into motion or force, especially the part of a vehicle that powers it.
"The mechanic spent all afternoon trying to figure out why the engine wouldn't start."
"Modern cars use much smaller engines than they did thirty years ago."
2
A software system built to handle one specific technical job, usually named after that job.
"The website's search engine returns results in under a second."
"Game developers often build their own physics engine from scratch."
3
A person, group, or force that drives or powers something forward.
"Small businesses are often called the engine of the local economy."
"She was the engine behind the whole fundraising campaign."
4
A locomotive; the self-powered unit that pulls a train.
"The children waved as the engine pulled the carriages out of the station."
How to Use Engine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe part of a machine that makes it go, or more loosely, anything (software, a person, an industry) that drives something forward.
Common pairings
start the engine
search engine
engine trouble
the engine of growth
Word Forms
engined past tense, engines plural, engines singular
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Etymology
From Old French engin ("skill, cleverness, war machine"), from Latin ingenium ("innate talent, natural ability") — the same root that gives us "ingenious".