motor
part of speech
noun (a motor, motors); adjective (motor); verb (motor, motors, motored, motoring — old-fashioned)
meaning for a pupil
1) A machine that turns energy (usually electricity or fuel) into movement, like the motor in a fan, a toy car or a boat. tree →
2) (UK, informal) A car. tree →
3) (adjective) To do with cars or vehicles: «motor racing». tree →
4) (adjective, science) To do with movement of the body: «motor skills». tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and technology lessons: an electric motor is used in circuits to make something spin. In everyday life: motorbikes, motorboats, motorways. In PE: «fine motor skills» (small movements like writing) and «gross motor skills» (big movements like running). Phrases: «electric motor», «motor skills», «motor racing», «motor vehicle».
examples
- We added a small motor to make our model car move. tree →
- The motor in the fan is broken. tree →
- Racing drivers love motor racing. tree →
- Writing practice helps your fine motor skills. tree →
- The boat's motor started with a roar. tree →
- An electric motor uses electricity to make things spin. tree →
- Uncle Pete washed his motor on Sunday. tree →
note
Countable. Compounds: motorbike, motorway (UK), motorboat, motorist. People often use «motor» and «engine» the same way; in science, an electric «motor» turns electricity into movement, and an «engine» usually burns fuel.
In the corpora
- And he has ordered a large and very expensive motor-car.»
- He has heard that a new, extra-powerful motor-car is arriving at Toad Hall this very morning.
- «The Rat sat on him, and the Mole got his motor-clothes off him bit by bit».
- I should like to be able to tell my friends that once I had driven a motor-car!»
- I am the Toad, the motor-car snatcher, the prison-breaker, the Toad who always escapes!»
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «motor» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.