turbofan

noun

tur·​bo·​fan ˈtər-bō-ˌfan How to pronounce turbofan (audio)
1
: a fan that is directly connected to and driven by a turbine and is used to supply air for cooling, ventilation, or combustion
2
: a jet engine having a turbofan

Examples of turbofan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The German Taurus is a 1.5-ton cruise missile with a turbofan engine propelling it to high subsonic speeds over a distance of around 300 miles under GPS and inertial guidance. David Axe, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025 Overture’s medium-bypass turbofan engine, Symphony, will run on sustainable aviation fuel and produce noise levels comparable to subsonic jets, unlike Concorde’s deafening, CO2-emitting afterburners. IEEE Spectrum, 8 Feb. 2025 Only one company, Williams International, builds turbofan engines for most cruise missiles. Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2023 Its turbofan and turboshaft engines will give it a maximum speed around 450 knots (518 mph / 834 km/h). New Atlas, 8 Oct. 2024 See All Example Sentences for turbofan

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of turbofan was in 1911

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Cite this Entry

“Turbofan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/turbofan. Accessed 15 Mar. 2025.

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