propulsion system
- noun
- /prəˈpʌlʃən ˈsɪstəm/
- Specialized
- The rocket's propulsion system was designed to launch it into space.
- rocket propulsion system
- electric propulsion system
- advanced propulsion system
You know, The thing is, what is a gravitic propulsion system?
- You know, The thing is, what is a gravitic propulsion system?
- And second of all, how difficult are alternate propulsion systems?
Examples
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The submarine's propulsion system allows it to move silently underwater.
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But now what we've done here is we've shown the choice of propulsion system is critical.
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All right, first, we must charge the propulsion system.
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What about the propulsion system?
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Now, this propulsion system is much more powerful, so it should be even harder to enter that state.
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We used his propulsion system in the space shuttle.
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The propulsion system's not responding.
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Last week I saw a lot of headlines about a space propulsion system that uses nuclear fusion.
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"The construction of the propulsion system is proceeding on schedule?"
Fiction book (2001) -
When renewable ethanol is combined with a fuel cell propulsion system, greenhouse gas emissions approach zero.
Academic text (2003)
Antonyms
- Specialized
A set of parts that make a vehicle like a car slow down or stop when you press the pedal
How Powerful
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a system that provides the force or thrust to move a vehicle' is directly and compositionally derived from 'propulsion' (force that drives something forward) + 'system' (a collection of interacting components). This noun + noun construction is a straightforward descriptive pattern found across languages, so a learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Propulsion system comes from a simple picture: propulsion means pushing and a system is a group of parts working together. Imagine a boat's oars or a rocket engine pushing a vehicle forward — the parts that do the pushing are the 'propulsion system', so the phrase means the parts that give the 'force' to 'move something forward'.