high-octane en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
Etymology
From high + octane. First use appears c. 1931 in the Oakland Tribune.
Meanings
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Of fuel, having a high octane number, good antiknock characteristics; used in high-performance vehicles.
Now, to do the job, I need some high-octane gasoline.
1982, Terry Hayes, George Miller, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, spoken by Max (Mel Gibson):
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(broadly, figuratively) High-powered, energetic, forceful or dynamic.
So what if the Greeks never had BMX bikes? This year's Olympic Games, which kick off August 8 in China, add high-octane competitions—BMX racing and open-water swimming—and include sports like table tennis taken to Olympian levels.
2008 January–February, Matt Bean, “Your cultural calendar: 7 things to look forward to this year”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:Will the exponential growth in TV rights income at home and abroad that has fuelled the endless inflation of the Premier League’s high-octane balloon ever level off?
2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in The Guardian, London, archived from the original on 04 Jun 2023:
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(figuratively) Of a drink, highly intoxicating or caffeinated.
There's no question that the high-octane beers of Marshall Wharf have had a massive influence on the breweries that have opened in Maine since 2007.
2013, Josh Christie, Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland, Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| higher-octane | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| highest-octane | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Antonyms
Translations (3)
fi korkeaoktaaninen (having a high octane number) · ru высокоокта́новый (having a high octane number) · ja ハイオク (having a high octane number)