As humans continue to explore the aerospace field, higher demands have been placed on new types of propulsion systems. Meanwhile, active secondary flow has been applied to various aspects of engines over the past seventy years, significantly enhancing engine performance. For the new generation of propulsion systems, active secondary flow remains a highly promising technology. This article provides an overview of the application of active secondary flow in engines, including a review of the past research on the secondary jet flow field, and an introduction of the more prominent applications of the jet in engines and its research progress. Finally, the problems existing in the current application of the secondary jet are summarized, and the future direction of the research is anticipated.