windmill

American  

[wind-mil] / ˈwɪndˌmɪl /

noun

1. any of various machines for grinding, pumping, etc., driven by the force of the wind acting upon a number of vanes or sails.

2. (loosely) a wind generator; wind plant.

3. Aeronautics. a small air turbine with blades, like those of an airplane propeller, exposed on a moving aircraft and driven by the air, used to operate gasoline pumps, radio apparatus, etc.

4. an imaginary opponent, wrong, etc. (in allusion to Cervantes'Don Quixote ).

   to tilt at windmills.

---

verb (used with or without object)

1. Aeronautics. (of a propeller engine or turbojet engine) to rotate or cause to rotate solely under the force of a passing airstream.

windmill British  

/ ˈwɪndˌmɪl, ˈwɪnˌmɪl /

noun

1. a machine for grinding or pumping driven by a set of adjustable vanes or sails that are caused to turn by the force of the wind

2. the set of vanes or sails that drives such a mill

3. Also called: whirligig.  US and Canadian name: pinwheel.  a toy consisting of plastic or paper vanes attached to a stick in such a manner that they revolve like the sails of a windmill

4. an imaginary opponent or evil (esp in the phrase tilt at or fight windmills )

5. a small air-driven propeller fitted to a light aircraft to drive auxiliary equipment Compare ram-air turbine

6. an informal name for helicopter

7. an informal name for propeller

---

verb

1. to move or cause to move like the arms of a windmill

2. an informal name for accommodation bill

3. (intr) (of an aircraft propeller, rotor of a turbine, etc) to rotate as a result of the force of a current of air rather than under power

windmill Idioms  

1. see tilt at windmills.

---

Etymology

Origin of windmill

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; wind ¹, mill ¹

Example Sentences

“By the way, in case you people don’t know, I’m not much of a windmill person,” Trump said.

From Barron's • Jan. 13, 2026

In laying out the workings of a traditional Dutch windmill, for instance, he conjures a fictional miller, “a congenial fellow” who “knocks out his pipe on the door frame” before getting to work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

They have the largest wooden windmill in America.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2025

"Cheap people like me," says Steve, "look at the windmill and say 'nah, I'm not gonna pay extra to go in there', but if it's all included I wouldn't hesitate."

From BBC • Sep. 28, 2025

During the next 6,500 years there were remarkable technological advances—the invention of the water-wheel and the windmill, for example—but until 400 years ago technological change was slow, and it was frequently reversed.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton