rocket engine


noun

a reaction engine that produces a thrust due to an exhaust consisting entirely of material, as oxidizer, fuel, and inert matter, that has been carried with the engine in the vehicle it propels, none of the propellant being derived from the medium through which the vehicle moves.
Also called rocket, rocket motor.

Origin of rocket engine

First recorded in 1930–35

British Dictionary definitions for rocket engine

rocket engine

noun

a reaction engine in which a fuel and oxidizer are burnt in a combustion chamber, the products of combustion expanding through a nozzle and producing thrust Also called: rocket motor

Scientific definitions for rocket engine

rocket engine

An engine used to produce a jet of hot gases to propel a rocket. The jet is produced by combustion of a fuel with other chemicals stored in the rocket. Since they do not rely on the oxygen in the atmosphere for combustion, rocket engines can operate in space. Compare turbojet.