A specialized turbine driven by the exhaust gases of an engine that supplies air under pressure to the engine for combustion: A turbocharger is an exhaust gas-driven device consisting of a shaft with two vaned fan-type wheels at each end.

At the hot end, the turbine wheel is driven by the hot pressurized exhaust gases, while at the opposite end, the compressor wheel pressurizes the ambient air supply into the engine intake manifold.