A turbocharger is a small radial fan pump driven by the energy of the exhaust gases of an engine. A turbocharger consists of a and a on a shared shaft. The turbine section of a turbocharger is a heat engine in itself. It converts the heat energy from the exhaust to power, which then drives the compressor, compressing ambient air and delivering it to the air intake of the engine at higher pressure, resulting in a greater mass of air entering each cylinder. In some instances, compressed air is routed through an before introduction to the intake manifold. Because a turbocharger is a heat engine, and is converting otherwise wasted exhaust heat to power, it compresses the inlet air to the engine more efficiently than a supercharger.

The objective of a turbocharger is the same as a ; to improve upon the size-to-output efficiency of an engine by solving one of its cardinal limitations. A automobile engine uses only the downward stroke of a piston to create an area of low pressure in order to draw air into the cylinder through the intake valves. Because the pressure in the is no more than 1 (approximately 14.7 ), there ultimately will be a limit to the pressure difference across the intake valves and thus the amount of airflow entering the . This ability to fill the cylinder with air is its . Because the turbocharger increases the pressure at the point where air is entering the cylinder, a greater mass of air () will be forced in as the inlet manifold pressure increases. The additional oxygen makes it possible to add more fuel, increasing the and output of the engine.

Because the pressure in the cylinder must not go too high to avoid and physical damage, the intake pressure must be controlled by controlling the rotational speed of the turbocharger. The control function is performed by a , which routes some of the exhaust flow away from the exhaust turbine. This controls shaft speed and regulates air pressure in the intake manifold.

The application of a compressor to increase pressure at the point of cylinder air intake is often referred to as . compress air in the same fashion as a turbocharger. However, the energy to spin the supercharger is taken from the rotating output energy of the engine's crankshaft as opposed to normally exhausted gas from the engine. Superchargers use output energy from an engine to achieve a net gain, which must be provided from some of the engine's total output. Turbochargers, on the other hand, convert some of the piston engine's exhaust into useful work. This energy would otherwise be wasted out the exhaust. This means that a turbocharger is a more efficient use of the heat energy obtained from the fuel than a supercharger.