Skip to main content
engine

engine

129 3.5
A person or thing that causes something to happen
  • noun
  • /ˈɛn.dʒɪn/
: motor
  • Litigation is now among the most potent driving forces or "engines" of education policy-making today.
  • engine of growth
  • economic engine
  • engine of innovation

We are tinkering with the engine of the world here.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Trade is a vital engine for growth, jobs and development.

  • At Stanford, we are an engine of innovation.

  • So you have an economic engine which will fund this thing.

  • The first is that its economic engine is starting to slow down.

  • For several years, the United States was the only engine of economic growth in the world economy.

    Academic text (1990)
  • So more savings becomes the engine of growth for our economy.

  • Competitive markets and private investment remain the engines of economic growth and wealth allocation.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The Declaration also launched and became the heart and the engine of the internationalization of human rights.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Over 400 organizations eventually joined W3C; it became an engine of innovation for the Web.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Small businesses are considered the engine of economic growth in many countries.

Synonyms

agent
vsengine
  • Specialized
173 4.5

A thing or substance that causes a specific effect, often in medicine

is less technical and applies to any person or thing causing an outcome
motor
vsengine
69 6.0

A person, force, or thing that causes action

is broader, applying to any person, idea, or thing that causes results
driving force
vsengine
39 4.1

A force that makes something move forward

is more general, covering people or ideas that cause a result not only motion
motive power
vsengine
  • Specialized
1 5.5

Energy that makes a machine like a car or train move

is abstract and can mean any person or idea that causes a result

Idioms

To use much more effort or help than needed to do a small task

Compounds

search engine
  • Specialized
93 2.9

A computer program that finds web pages and information on the internet

39 4.1

The room on a ship, train, or in a building where the engine and other machines are kept and run

jet engine
  • Specialized
14 3.7

An engine that pushes a plane by shooting out fast hot air

12 1.6

A large vehicle that carries firefighters and tools to fight fires

11 4.5

A machine that burns fuel inside to make power to move a car or plane

steam engine
  • Specialized
10 3.5

A machine that uses steam from hot water to move parts like pistons or wheels

A situation in which an engine stops working or does not work properly

diesel engine
  • Specialized
6 2.8

An engine that burns diesel fuel to make power

rocket engine
  • Specialized
5 3.6

A machine that makes a push by throwing out its own fuel very fast for spaceships or missiles

engine block
  • Specialized
5 4.0

A metal part of an engine that holds the cylinders and channels for cooling

gasoline engine
  • Specialized
4 3.2

A machine that burns gasoline to make power for vehicles and machines

ion engine
  • Specialized
3 6.6

An engine for spacecraft that pushes them by firing tiny charged particles very fast using electricity

gas engine
  • Specialized
2 3.3

A machine that burns natural gas to make power for vehicles or generators

aircraft engine
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A machine that gives power to a plane so it can fly

heat engine
  • Specialized
1 5.0

A machine that uses heat to make movement or power

1 3.2

A machine that burns petrol to make power for cars

tank engine
  • Archaic
1 5.0

A steam train that carries its own fuel and water without another car behind it

1 3.3

A person who controls a train's engine

automobile engine
  • Specialized
1 2.7

A machine that makes a car move by using fuel or electricity

auxiliary engine
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A small motor on a ship that gives extra power or runs equipment like an anchor winch

four-stroke engine
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A machine that makes power using four piston movements in one cycle

ramjet engine
  • Specialized
1 8.1

An engine with no moving parts that needs very high speed to work

reciprocating engine
  • Specialized
1 6.7

An engine in which pistons move up and down in cylinders to turn a shaft

rotary engine
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A machine that makes power by turning parts around a central point, used in cars or planes

turbojet engine
  • Specialized
1 5.7

A machine that burns fuel and pushes an aircraft forward by sending out fast hot air

turbofan engine
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A jet motor with a large front fan that pushes extra air to make the plane move forward

9.6

An engine that often stops working and leaves you stranded

A diesel engine that injects fuel directly into the chamber where it burns

donkey engine
  • Archaic
7.9

A small vehicle that moves rail cars around in a rail yard

donkey engine
  • Archaic
8.6

A small machine on a ship that helps lift the anchor or heavy cargo

engine cooling system
  • Specialized
3.7

The system that removes heat from a car engine to stop overheating

epitrochoidal engine
  • Specialized
9.9

An engine with a three-sided part that turns in a curved path instead of pistons

7.7

A machine like a steam engine that burns fuel outside its cylinder to use the heat to make motion

fanjet engine
  • Specialized
6.8

A jet engine with a large front fan that pushes extra air to make more power and save fuel

A machine that burns fuel inside and makes power in four piston strokes

A machine on train tracks that pulls or pushes trains

graphic engine
  • Specialized
4.5

A program that creates and shows images on a computer screen

hydrokinetic engine
  • Specialized
8.7

A machine that uses moving or falling water to make power

radial engine
  • Specialized
7.1

A motor with cylinders arranged in a circle around a central hub used in aircraft

reaction engine
  • Specialized
6.0

A machine like a jet or rocket that pushes a vehicle by throwing fast gas out the back

7.1

A machine that pushes a rocket or other spacecraft forward by shooting out fast gases

repulsorlift engine
  • Literature
9.9

A device in science fiction that makes vehicles float above the ground

pilot engine
  • Archaic
7.6

A train engine that goes ahead to check the track for obstacles

switch engine
  • Specialized
6.6

A small vehicle that moves train cars inside a rail yard

traction engine
  • Archaic
9.9

A steam-powered vehicle with wheels that pulls heavy loads on farms and roads

valve-in-head engine
  • Specialized
8.5

An engine with the parts that let air in and let exhaust out at the top of the cylinders

Wankel engine
  • Specialized
8.0

A motor that makes power by a three-sided rotor turning inside an oval chamber

Wankel rotary engine
  • Specialized
7.8

A car engine that makes power using a spinning three-sided piece instead of moving pistons

How Influential

powerhouse
57 4.5
engine
129 3.5
catalyst
55 5.0
driving force
39 4.1
factor
∞ 2.1

Surface Forms

engine singular
engines plural

Etymology

Engine originally meant a clever device (from Latin ingenium and Old French engin), so by everyday use it came to mean a person or idea that 'drives' action; that's why we call something the 'engine' of growth or change.