motor

The word “motor” means a machine that converts energy, such as electricity or fuel, into motion. In plain terms, a device that produces movement, or, informally, a car.

“Motor” is pronounced MOH-tuh (/ˈmoʊtəɹ/ in IPA).

Here is “motor” used in a sentence: “The washing machine's motor burned out after ten years.”

Words with a similar meaning to “motor” include engine.

Depending on how it is used, “motor” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “motor” comes from Latin. From Latin mōtor ("mover"), from movēre ("to move").

“Motor” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Motor” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a machine that converts energy, such as electricity or fuel, into motion.

The two words overlap, but there is a common distinction. "Engine" often refers to a machine that burns fuel to create motion, like a car's petrol engine. "Motor" tends to describe one driven by electricity, such as the motor in a fan or an electric car. In everyday speech, though, people use them interchangeably.

Motors are usually grouped by the energy they convert. Electric motors run on electricity and power everything from phones to trains, and are further split into AC and DC types. Combustion motors burn fuel. There are also hydraulic and pneumatic motors driven by pressurized liquid or air. All share one job: turning energy into movement.

Anything that turns stored energy into movement qualifies. The electric motor spinning a washing machine drum, the starter motor that cranks a car, and the small motor vibrating a phone are all everyday examples. Larger ones drive lifts, factory machinery and electric vehicles, converting electricity or fuel into useful motion.