gasoline engine
4
3.2
- noun
- /ˈɡæsəˌlin ˈɛnʤɪn/
- Specialized
:
motor de gasolina
- The gasoline engine powers most cars on the road today.
- conventional gasoline engine
Examples
-
Few people believe that diesels will sweep gasoline engines off the road in the United States any time soon.
Academic text (2006) -
A hundred years later, it appears that the rivalry between electric and gasoline engines has been renewed.
Academic text (2005) -
The maker of the gasoline engine that will power the first production models is still being determined.
Academic text (1998) -
What really sets each hybrid apart, though, is how it uses its gasoline engine and electric motor.
Blog text (25) -
The traditional way to teach engines is to tear down and rebuild a small gasoline engine.
Academic text (2007) -
Soon after 1900, the gasoline engine came into use in the oyster industry.
Academic text (1996) -
Overall, diesels will always be more expensive than gasoline engines, Rogers said.
Academic text (2006) -
The gasoline engine is inefficient and poisons our environment.
-
Diesel is one tool among many, including continuing developments in conventional gasoline engines and hybrids.
Academic text (2006) -
Power hoists, driven by gasoline engines, replaced the manual winders beginning in 1906 (Vojtech, 1993).
Academic text (1996)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
A machine that uses fuel to make power for cars or machines
11
4.5
A machine that burns fuel inside to make power to move a car or plane
1
3.2
A machine that burns petrol to make power for cars
1
2.7
A machine that makes a car move by using fuel or electricity
How Powerful
- Specialized
1
2.7
- Specialized
4
3.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an engine that runs on gasoline' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'gasoline' (a fuel) with 'engine' (a machine that converts fuel into mechanical energy). This noun–noun composition follows a common, cross-linguistic pattern (fuel + engine) and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Gasoline engine names a machine that uses gasoline as fuel; the gasoline burns inside the engine, pushing parts and making a car move. That's why the phrase means a 'motor that runs on gasoline'.