propulsion

Language: en

🇺🇸 /prəˈpʌlʃən/

📖 Definitions

  1. noun
    The action of driving or pushing something forward; the force that propels an object in a particular direction.; A mechanism or system used to generate forward motion, especially in vehicles such as ships, aircraft, or spacecraft.

🔗 Details

Word forms

uncountable

Collocations

jet propulsionrocket propulsionpropulsion systempropulsion enginenuclear propulsionpropulsion technology

Derivatives

propelpropulsivepropellantpropellerpropellor

Synonyms

thrustdriveimpulsionmomentumpropelling force

Antonyms

resistancedrag

Commonly confused

propellant
EN: 'Propellant' is the substance that provides propulsion (e.g., fuel); 'propulsion' is the act or force of propelling.
impulsion
EN: 'Impulsion' refers to a sudden urge or driving force, often psychological; 'propulsion' is more physical/mechanical.

Spelling tips

EN: Note that 'propel' has a single 'l', but derivatives like 'propellant' double the 'l' before a vowel suffix. The related word 'propeller' also doubles the 'l'.

💬 Examples

  1. The rocket's propulsion system generated enough thrust to escape Earth's gravity.

  2. The submarine uses nuclear propulsion to travel long distances without refueling.