heat engine
noun
: a mechanism (such as an internal combustion engine) for converting heat energy into mechanical or electrical energy
Examples of heat engine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to the researchers, Carnot determined the maximum efficiency of heat engines.
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Cyclones, also known as typhoons and called hurricanes in North America, are enormous heat engines of wind and rain that feed on warm ocean water and moist air.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
But just like heat engines, information engines are never perfect.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Heat switches can boost the efficiency of entire classes of heat engines, such as solar thermal power plants, which use heat from the sun to generate electricity.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Feb. 2023
One way to model a hurricane is as a heat engine, a device that harnesses a temperature gradient to do work.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
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Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2025
Cyclones, also known as typhoons and called hurricanes in North America, are enormous heat engines of wind and rain that feed on warm ocean water and moist air.
—Lex Harvey, CNN, 16 Dec. 2024
But just like heat engines, information engines are never perfect.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 13 Dec. 2024
Heat switches can boost the efficiency of entire classes of heat engines, such as solar thermal power plants, which use heat from the sun to generate electricity.
—IEEE Spectrum, 17 Feb. 2023
One way to model a hurricane is as a heat engine, a device that harnesses a temperature gradient to do work.
—Umair Irfan, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Heat engine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heat%20engine. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
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