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
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024
SpaceX said this flight reached several more milestones, including the first reentry from space, first opening and closing of the craft's payload door in space and a successful propellant transfer demonstration.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 2 July 2024
Shortly after separating from the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, Peregrine's propulsion began leaking a critical amount of propellant that forced Astrobotic to eventually abandon plans of landing on the moon.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for propellant 
Adjective
The rest of the booster, including the main airframe and propellant tanks, will still be expended.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 28 June 2024
SpaceX said this flight reached several more milestones, including the first reentry from space, first opening and closing of the craft's payload door in space and a successful propellant transfer demonstration.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 6 June 2024
Noun
Leading up to the explosion, engineers swapped out the engine's initial combustion chamber for another one with improvements to better withstand the super-hot gas generated when kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants mix and ignite.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 2 July 2024
Shortly after separating from the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket, Peregrine's propulsion began leaking a critical amount of propellant that forced Astrobotic to eventually abandon plans of landing on the moon.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for propellant
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.
Dictionary Entries Near propellant
Cite this Entry
“Propellant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propellant. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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