motive power
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
I provide the motive power, a.k.a. the push.
From Washington Post • Jul. 3, 2022
Panamera S no longer derives motive power from a naturally aspirated V8, though an uprated 440-horsepower version of that V8 soldiers along in the Panamera GTS.
From Forbes • Mar. 27, 2015
Gustave Whitehead in flight at an altitude of 4 meters with the motive power provided by a brawny assistant.
From Scientific American • Jun. 13, 2013
Some vehicles may lose motive power without warning due to a defective powertrain component, the torque converter output shaft.
From Reuters • Jan. 11, 2012
The stationary earth cannot be the source of that motive power, so the innermost sphere must be moved by the next sphere out.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
![]()
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.