Combustion is the act of burning something or the process of burning.
[technical]
The energy is released by combustion on the application of a match.
The two principal combustion products are water vapor and carbon dioxide.
2. See also internal combustion engine
combustion in British English
(kəmˈbʌstʃən)
noun
1.
the process of burning
2.
any process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to produce a significant rise in temperature and the emission of light
3.
a chemical process in which two compounds, such as sodium and chlorine, react together to produce heat and light
4.
a process in which a compound reacts slowly with oxygen to produce little heat andno light
Derived forms
combustive (comˈbustive)
noun, adjective
Word origin
C15: from Old French, from Latin combūrere to burn up, from com- (intensive) + ūrere to burn
combustion in American English
(kəmˈbʌstʃən)
noun
1.
the act or process of burning
2.
rapid oxidation accompanied by heat and, usually, light, as with magnesium
3.
slow oxidation accompanied by relatively little heat and no light, as with a carbohydrate
4.
violent excitement or agitation; tumult
Derived forms
combustive (comˈbustive) (kəmˈbʌstɪv)
adjective
Word origin
ME < OFr < LL combustio < L combustus, pp. of comburere (for *com-urere), to burn < com-, intens. + *burere (by faulty separation of amburere, to burn around < ambi-, ambi- + urere, to burn, singe): see ember1
combustion in Chemical Engineering
(kəmbʌstʃən)
noun
(Chemical Engineering: Energy and sustainability)
Combustion is the oxidization of a fuel by using a flame.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas produced by incomplete combustion.
Combustion is a process involving the reaction of a fuel and an oxidizer, in which the chemicalenergy stored in the fuel is released.
Combustion is the oxidization of a fuel by using a flame.
combustion in Mechanical Engineering
(kəmbʌstʃən)
noun
(Mechanical engineering: Energy, thermodynamics and heat transfer)
Combustion is the process in which a fuel burns in oxygen.
The color of the flame during combustion of a fuel can tell you if the fuel is getting enough oxygen for burning.
Combustion is a process involving the reaction of a fuel and an oxidizer, in which the chemicalenergy stored in the fuel is released.
Combustion is the process in which a fuel burns in oxygen.
Word builder-ionThe suffix -ion often changes a verb into a noun, meaning the 'process of doing something'.
combustion in the Pharmaceutical Industry
(kəmbʌstʃən)
noun
(Pharmaceutical: Processes)
Combustion is chemical change, especially oxidation, accompanied by the production of heat and light.
Combustion occurs when oxygen combines with another compound in a reaction that produces heat.
Energy is released as heat when a compound undergoes complete combustion with oxygen.
Combustion is chemical change, especially oxidation, accompanied by the production of heat andlight.
Examples of 'combustion' in a sentence
combustion
They are four times as efficient since they lose no energy to the internal combustion process.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Electric cars have four times as much copper as an internal combustion vehicle and the charging equipment requires more.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It changed with a single invention: the internal combustion engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The Korean giant had already launched a partial recall after reports of spontaneous combustion while charging.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
I like the feel of a combustion engine, the noise and the smell.
The Sun (2016)
The competition is not restricted to cars with internal combustion engines.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It is highly likely that the char absorbs some of the combustion products of the gas.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
Modern fireworks also contain regulators to speed up or slow down the process of combustion.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The second is that they act as carriers for other toxins produced by combustion.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Some gases are fed into a combustion chamber where they can be safely burned off.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
It is powered by electric motors and a small internal combustion engine.
The Sun (2010)
They were enthusiastic to the point of spontaneous combustion.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Anyone who can overhaul an internal combustion engine can hold his own in the intelligence department.
Christianity Today (2000)
Other cases of spontaneous combustion have a weather explanation.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The report will warn such cuts are impossible while internal combustion engines are the main means for propelling cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Other cases of spontaneous human combustion have been reported in various parts of the world but are extremely rare.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The valve that lets air and fuel into the combustion chamber should close tight before the valve letting out the exhaust gases opens.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
What do the internal combustion engine, the bicycle and the photograph have in common?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Its general tone was that improvements in battery capacity might soon take electric cars from niche products to challenging the internal combustion engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
If not, why should you understand the internal combustion engine?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
One is to dig it up, take it to the surface and treat it in combustion chambers.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
A hybrid car uses both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
These heat the combustion chambers of the engine cylinders for a few seconds to help the engine fire up from stone cold with minimal exhaust smoke.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The proposed solution to the electric car issue is the addition of little speakers near the wheels to broadcast the purr of a conventional internal combustion engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The agent works its way through the fuel system and removes harmful carbon deposits that build up in areas such as the combustion chamber and intake valves.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Rather than choosing fuel cell technology, the company decided to convert a conventional internal combustion engine to run on both liquid hydrogen and petrol.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
I guess this is the first car that means we as sports car aficionados can see beyond the end of the internal combustion engine.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Thus the CO 2 produced by the combustion process is added to that already in the atmosphere.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Electric cars can be fuelled for a tenth of the cost of the conventional petrol combustion engine, but typically run out of fuel within100 miles.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
In other languages
combustion
British English: combustion NOUN
Combustion is the act of burning something or the process of burning.
The energy is released by combustion on the application of a match.
American English: combustion
Brazilian Portuguese: combustão
Chinese: 燃烧
European Spanish: combustión
French: combustion
German: Verbrennung
Italian: combustione
Japanese: 燃焼
Korean: 연소
European Portuguese: combustão
Latin American Spanish: combustión
All related terms of 'combustion'
combustion tube
a tube of heat-resistant glass , silica , or ceramic , in which a substance can be reduced, as in a combustion furnace
combustion chamber
an enclosed space in which combustion takes place, such as the space above the piston in the cylinder head of an internal-combustion engine or the chambers in a gas turbine or rocket engine in which fuel and oxidant burn
combustion engine
any of various types of engines driven by energy produced by combustion
combustion furnace
a furnace used in the laboratory to carry out elemental analysis of organic compounds
vapor combustion
Vapor combustion is a closed burn system used for treating liquid waste which contains volatile organic compounds.
heat of combustion
the heat evolved when one mole of a substance is burnt in oxygen at constant volume
spontaneous combustion
the ignition of a substance or body as a result of internal oxidation processes, without the application of an external source of heat, occurring in finely powdered ores , coal , straw , etc
underground combustion
Underground combustion is the process of heating oil to allow it to flow more easily and make it easier to recover .
external-combustion engine
a heat engine in which the working fluid is heated in an external boiler or heat exchanger and is thus isolated from the process of fuel combustion
internal-combustion engine
An internal combustion engine is an engine that creates its energy by burning fuel inside itself. Most cars have internal combustion engines.