lo·co·mo·tive
ˌlō-kə-ˈmō-tiv 
1
2
: of or relating to travel
3
: of, relating to, or being a machine that moves about by operation of its own mechanism
1
: a self-propelled vehicle that runs on rails and is used for moving railroad cars
2
: a school or college cheer characterized by a slow beginning and a progressive increase in speed
Examples of locomotive in a Sentence
Adjective
the locomotive ability of spiders
Recent Examples on the Web
Colleen Wilson, USA Today, 19 May 2025
The latest and perhaps most devastating blow to the state’s sense of its ever-mobile self came just after midnight on Friday, when about 450 unionized locomotive engineers went on strike for better pay.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Peter High, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
The Boilermaker Special resembles a Victorian-era steam locomotive.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for locomotive
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Adjective
After a whirlwind three days of diverting tens of thousands of people from New Jersey Transit's rail system, the agency reached a tentative deal with its locomotive engineers to end a historic strike that sent shockwaves statewide, just in time for the work week.
—Colleen Wilson, USA Today, 19 May 2025
The latest and perhaps most devastating blow to the state’s sense of its ever-mobile self came just after midnight on Friday, when about 450 unionized locomotive engineers went on strike for better pay.
—Dan Barry, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Noun
The company is a global leader in construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, diesel-electric locomotives and industrial gas turbines.
—Peter High, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
The Boilermaker Special resembles a Victorian-era steam locomotive.
—Madison E. Goldberg, People.com, 26 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for locomotive
Cite this Entry
“Locomotive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/locomotive. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
locomotive
1 of 2 adjective
lo·co·mo·tive
ˌlō-kə-ˈmōt-iv
1
: of or relating to locomotion
2
: of, relating to, or being a locomotive
locomotive
2 of 2 noun
: an engine that moves under its own power
especially
: one that hauls cars on a railroad
Medical Definition
locomotive
adjective
lo·co·mo·tive
ˌlō-kə-ˈmōt-iv
: locomotor sense 1
locomotive organs include flagella, cilia, pseudopodia, and limbs
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