propellant — English Dictionary

Noun

1. anything that propels fuel, oxidizer, reaction mass or mixture for one or more engines (especially internal combustion engines or jet engines) that is carried within a vehicle prior to use

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

2. anything that propels the compressed gas in a pressurised container (especially an aerosol can) that is used to expel its content

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (1)

   Then they backed the membrane with a gel matrix containing a perfluorocarbon (PFC) propellant and fluorescent "nanobullets" about a micron wide, and hit it with ultrasound.

3. anything that propels the explosive (cordite, gunpowder, etc) found in ammunition cartridges

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Adjective

1. tending to or capable of propelling

   Synonyms

   propellentpropellingpropulsive

   Examples

   propellant fuel for submarines

   the faster a jet plane goes the greater its propulsive efficiency

   More examples (1)

   universities … the seats of propulsive thought

Noun

1. any substance that propels

   Synonyms

   propellent

   Broader terms

   substance