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
Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
The ship's propellant tanks have 25 percent more volume than previous iterations of the vehicle, and the payload compartment, which contains 10 mock-ups of Starlink Internet satellites on this launch, is somewhat smaller.
—Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2025
Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 19 Nov. 2024
Such a maneuver will be necessary to give the massive vehicle enough propellant to make the journey out to the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for propellant 
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Adjective
The spaceship’s propulsion system, for example, has been altered to increase the propellant volume by 25%.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 15 Jan. 2025
The ship's propellant tanks have 25 percent more volume than previous iterations of the vehicle, and the payload compartment, which contains 10 mock-ups of Starlink Internet satellites on this launch, is somewhat smaller.
—Ars Technica, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
SpaceX launched its first Starship test flight in April 2023, but the vehicle encountered issues only 24 miles above the Gulf of Mexico when leaking propellant caused a fire in the Super Heavy booster, according to a story in Florida Today.
—Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 19 Nov. 2024
Such a maneuver will be necessary to give the massive vehicle enough propellant to make the journey out to the moon.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for propellant
Dictionary Entries Near propellant
Cite this Entry
“Propellant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/propellant. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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