propellant

1 of 2

adjective

pro·​pel·​lant prə-ˈpe-lənt How to pronounce propellant (audio)
variants or less commonly propellent
: capable of propelling

propellant

2 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly propellent
: something that propels: such as
a
: an explosive for propelling projectiles
b
: fuel plus oxidizer used by a rocket engine
c
: a gas kept under pressure in a bottle or can for expelling the contents when the pressure is released

Examples of propellant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
And that somebody could use the victory over WSU as propellant to climb into the NCAA Tournament, either by strengthening its at-large resume or by winning the Pac-12 title and claiming the league’s automatic bid. Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 Intuitive Machines’ successful touchdown comes only weeks after a commercial lander from the company Astrobotic failed to land on the moon following a propellant leak after launch. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 During Peregrine's startup sequence after separation from its United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket, one of the spacecraft's propellant tanks ruptured, spewing precious nitrogen tetroxide into space. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2024 But shortly after launching into orbit Jan. 8, the lander suffered a critical propellant leak that forced its operators to scrap the entire mission. Denise Chow, NBC News, 19 Jan. 2024 The company will also need to demonstrate propellant transfers between two in-orbit Starships, which has never been done before. Michael Greshko, Scientific American, 18 Jan. 2024 The malfunction that caused the propellant leak appears to have been with a valve that did not properly reseat during the propulsion system's initialization sequence. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 22 Jan. 2024 The company has not yet said what might have gone wrong with Peregrine to trigger the propellant leak. William Harwood, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2024 The robotic Peregrine lander, still in orbit around Earth, appears to have a propellant leak that will prevent it from reaching the Moon. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 8 Jan. 2024
Noun
The East Bay gained 12,500 jobs in 2023, and was the primary propellant for the Bay Area economy last year. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 That will require a complex choreography of additional Starship launches to take the propellants to orbit. Kenneth Chang, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The details of the gas-station plan are still concepts on paper, but the ambitious idea goes like this: SpaceX will launch a number of Starships loaded with propellant, a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen, into orbit around Earth. Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 The goal was to move some of the propellant on board the Starship vehicle from one tank to another, according to a December email from NASA explaining the test. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Replete in healthful elements all wrapped in a fantastical landscape of rocks of the volcanic sort, the Big Rock Canyon Trail delivers a steady stream of serotonin without the junk propellant. Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024 If broken apart into its elemental components — hydrogen and oxygen — the water could also become future propellants for rockets. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 The mission had been slated to launch on Wednesday, but an issue with the temperature of propellant needed to power the spacecraft delayed the attempt by 24 hours. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 Mueller said Helios could be refilled with propellant and then go on to other missions in orbit. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'propellant.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from Latin prōpellent-, prōpellens, present participle of prōpellere "to push or thrust forward, compel to go onward" — more at propel

Noun

in part noun derivative of propellant entry 1, in part from propel + -ant entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1644, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of propellant was in 1644

Dictionary Entries Near propellant

Cite this Entry

“Propellant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propellant. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

propellant

noun
pro·​pel·​lant
variants also propellent
prə-ˈpel-ənt
: something that propels: as
a
: fuel plus a chemical to supply oxygen used by a rocket engine
b
: a gas under pressure in a can for expelling the contents when the pressure is released
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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