Meanings
nounion engine (plural ion engines)
plural ion engines
- space flightA type of spacecraft propulsion, whereby electric fields accelerate ions out the exhaust to provide motive force.
Synonyms: ion rocket, ion thruster
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA type of spacecraft propulsion, whereby electric fields accelerate ions out the exhaust to provide motive force.
Similar
ion rocketion thruster
Cite this entry
APA
ion engine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ion%20engine
MLA
“ion engine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ion%20engine. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ion engine,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ion%20engine.
Source: ion engine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.