propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpe-lər 

variants or less commonly propellor

: one that propels

especially : a device that consists of a central hub with radiating blades placed and twisted so that each forms part of a helical surface and that is used to propel a vehicle (such as a ship or airplane)

Examples of propeller in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On a tour of the ship’s engine room, he was riveted by a mechanism automatically recording the movements of the ship’s propeller. —Alison J. Stein, thehustle.co, 1 May 2026

Airships, on the other hand, emit little carbon because their vertical lift comes from lighter-than-air gases such as helium instead of burning fuel during diagonal ascent, and their propeller propulsion can be entirely electric. —New Atlas, 27 Apr. 2026

Then the four front propellers tilted forward, and the aircraft accelerated, no longer hanging on its rotors like a helicopter but cruising on its wings like a small airplane. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 25 Apr. 2026

These were the ship's reciprocating engines, the mechanical heart of the Titanic, designed to convert steam into energy that drove the ship's propellers. —Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

propel + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1780, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing propeller

• propeller-head
• screw propeller

Rhymes for propeller

• bestseller
• bookseller
• flagellar
• impeller
• lamellar
• micellar
• modeller
• ocellar
• patellar
• reseller
• scutellar
• beller

Kids Definition

propeller

noun

pro·​pel·​ler prə-ˈpel-ər 

: a device consisting of a hub fitted with blades that is made to turn rapidly by an engine and is used especially for propelling airplanes and ships