51Թ

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View synonyms for

wheel

[hweel, weel]

noun

  1. a circular frame or disk arranged to revolve on an axis, as on or in vehicles or machinery.

  2. any machine, apparatus, instrument, etc., shaped like this or having a circular frame, disk, or revolving drum as an essential feature.

    a potter's wheel; roulette wheel; spinning wheel.

  3. steering wheel.

  4. Nautical.

    1. a circular frame with an axle connecting to the rudder of a ship, for steering.

      He took the wheel during the storm.

    2. a paddle wheel.

    3. a propeller.

  5. Informal.a bicycle.

  6. a round object, decoration, etc..

    a wheel of cheese; a design of red wheels and blue squares.

  7. an old instrument of torture in the form of a circular frame on which the victim was stretched until disjointed.

  8. a circular firework that revolves rapidly while burning; pinwheel.

  9. a rotating instrument that Fortune is represented as turning in order to bring about changes or reverses in human affairs.

  10. wheels,

    1. moving, propelling, or animating agencies.

      the wheels of commerce; the wheels of thought.

    2. Slang.a personal means of transportation, especially a car.

  11. a cycle, recurring action, or steady progression.

    the wheel of days and nights.

  12. a wheeling or circular movement.

    the intricate wheels of the folk dances.

  13. (formerly) a movement of troops, ships, etc., drawn up in line, as if turning on a pivot.

  14. Informal.someone active and influential, as in business, politics, etc.; an important person.

    a big wheel.



verb (used with object)

  1. to cause to turn, rotate, or revolve, as on an axis.

  2. to perform (a movement) in a circular or curving direction.

  3. to move, roll, or convey on wheels, casters, etc..

    The servants wheel the tables out.

  4. to provide (a vehicle, machine, etc.) with wheels.

verb (used without object)

  1. to turn on or as on an axis or about a center; revolve, rotate, or pivot.

  2. to move in a circular or curving course.

    pigeons wheeling above.

  3. to turn so as to face in a different direction (often followed by about oraround ).

    He wheeled about and faced his opponent squarely.

  4. to change one's opinion or procedure (often followed by about oraround ).

    He wheeled around and argued for the opposition.

  5. to roll along on or as on wheels; travel along smoothly.

    The car wheeled along the highway.

  6. British Military.to turn.

    Right wheel!

wheel

/ ɾː /

noun

  1. a solid disc, or a circular rim joined to a hub by radial or tangential spokes, that is mounted on a shaft about which it can turn, as in vehicles and machines

  2. anything like a wheel in shape or function

  3. a device consisting of or resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its principal component

    a steering wheel

    a water wheel

  4. a medieval torture consisting of a wheel to which the victim was tied and then had his limbs struck and broken by an iron bar

  5. short for wheel of fortune potter's wheel

  6. the act of turning

  7. a pivoting movement of troops, ships, etc

  8. a type of firework coiled to make it rotate when let off

  9. a set of short rhyming lines, usually four or five in number, forming the concluding part of a stanza Compare bob 2

  10. the disc in which the ball is spun in roulette

  11. an informal word for bicycle

  12. archaica refrain

  13. informala person of great influence (esp in the phrase big wheel )

    1. driving or steering a vehicle or vessel

    2. in charge

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to turn or cause to turn on or as if on an axis

  2. to move or cause to move on or as if on wheels; roll

  3. (tr) to perform with or in a circular movement

  4. (tr) to provide with a wheel or wheels

  5. to change one's mind or opinion

  6. informalto be a free agent, esp to advance one's own interests

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • wheelless adjective
  • underwheel noun
  • unwheel verb (used with object)
  • ˈɳ- adjective
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of wheel1

First recorded before 900; (for the noun) Middle English whel(e), Old English hwēol, hweohl; cognate with Dutch wiel, Old Norse ō; akin to Greek ýDz, Persian charkh, Sanskrit cakra-; verb derivative of the noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of wheel1

Old English hweol, hweowol; related to Old Norse ŧ, Greek kuklos, Middle Low German ŧ, Dutch wiel
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. wheels within wheels, an involved interaction of motives or agencies operating to produce the final result.

    Government agencies are a study of wheels within wheels.

  2. at the wheel,

    1. at the helm of a ship, the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, etc.

    2. in command or control.

      Her ambition is to be at the wheel of a large corporation by the age of 40.

  3. hell on wheels. hell.

  4. spin one's wheels, to expend or waste effort to no avail.

    He spun his wheels on that project for two years.

  5. wheel and deal, to operate dynamically for one's own profit or benefit.

In addition to the idioms beginning with wheel, also see asleep at the switch (wheel); at the wheel; big cheese (wheel); cog in the wheel; fifth wheel; grease (oil) the wheels; hell on wheels; put one's shoulder to the wheel; reinvent the wheel; set (wheels) in motion; spin one's wheels; squeaky wheel gets the grease.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

But Piastri held his line on the pit straight, and as Norris closed on him, his right front wheel and front wing ran into the back of the rival McLaren.

From

But something had gone catastrophically wrong, and mere seconds after its wheels left the ground, the plane was in trouble.

From

We had a human safety driver at the wheel but he did not have to use the controls once during our 30 minute journey.

From

When Mr Till arrived at London Gatwick Airport in December 2023, he discovered those measurements included wheels, meaning his bag was deemed slightly too big.

From

A verbal dispute quickly turned physical, the court document said, and he pulled her hair and slammed her face into the steering wheel.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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wheedlewheel and axle