Dictionary

turbocharge en · VERB

Etymology

Etymology tree English turbinebf. Ancient Greek τύρβη (túrbē)bor.? Latin turba Latin -ō Latin turbō, ~binisder. English turbo- Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- Proto-Indo-European *-ós Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥sós Proto-Celtic *karros Gaulish *karrosbor. Latin carrus Latin -ic- Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu. Proto-Italic *-ājō Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin -ico Latin carricō Late Latin carricāre Old French chargierder. Middle English chargen English charge English turbocharge From turbo- + charge.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To increase the power of (an internal combustion engine, either Otto or Diesel cycle) by compressing the inlet air with power extracted from the exhaust air (through using a turbocharger).
2. (colloquial, transitive) To make faster or more powerful.
   • Two scholars who are not here are William Baude of the University of Chicago law school and Michael Stokes Paulsen of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Minn., whose article “The Sweep and Force of Section Three” turbocharged the disqualification debate when it was posted online last August. 2024 February 8, Mark Walsh, “A packed courtroom for the Trump ballot case”, in The Christian Science Monitor:
   • 6 turbocharge your turkey Commit yourself to healthy, varied lunches, and start by topping your turkey club sandwich with broccoli sprouts. Compared with mature broccoli, these have up to 100 times the potent compound sulforaphane, which is shown to fight cancer. 2008 January–February, “70 Ways to Improve Every Day of the Week”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 134:
   • The idea of an alleged Epstein "list" was turbocharged by Trump's own inner circle, most notably by Bondi herself. In a February interview with Fox News, she claimed, "The list of Jeffrey Epstein's clients is sitting on my desk." Her remark, quickly amplified by right-wing influencers, fueled weeks of speculation online and in MAGA circles. 2025 July 10, Jesus Mesa, “'We've Been Played': MAGA Faces Its Own Disappointment With Trump”, in Newsweek:
   • Six weeks after that moment, in a darkened classroom at Oceanside Community College, I would learn via an anger management class video about the cardiology, neurology, and endocrinology of rage—about how, as I reached for that wrench, my hypothalamus was instant-messaging my adrenal glands to secrete cortisol and adrenaline. How stored fat was dumping into my bloodstream for an energy turbocharge. How my heart was pumping overtime, sending a surge of blood to my muscles and lungs in preparation for what that instructional video called "the evolutionary miracle of fight-or-flight." That morning, I saw Hay and took the former option. 2008, Wally Lamb, The Hour I First Believed, Ch.1, at p.11

Forms

Relateds

supercharger · turbocharger · turbosupercharger · e-turbo · supercharge · twincharger

Translations (2)

fi ahtaa (to equip with turbocharger) · fi turboahtaa (to equip with turbocharger)