Showing results for Ferris wheel. Search instead for Ferris+Wheel.

Ferris wheel

American

[fer-is] / ˈfɛr ɪs /

noun

an amusement ride consisting of a large upright wheel rotating on a fixed stand and having seats around its rim suspended freely so that they remain right side up as they revolve.

Ferris wheel British

/ ˈfɛrɪs /

noun

a fairground wheel having seats freely suspended from its rim; the seats remain horizontal throughout its rotation

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Ferris wheels

plural

Etymology

Origin of Ferris wheel

1890–95; named after G. W. G. Ferris (died 1896), American engineer

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Ferris wheel

The celebrations feature a 110-foot Ferris wheel in Washington, D.C., and an 85,000-shell fireworks display in New York.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026

And theoretically fairgoers could have had fun on the Ferris wheel, though I didn’t see anyone lining up for that.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

The only ride was a massive Ferris wheel that didn’t work half the time.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

The Mexico City-founded churrería recently opened its first L.A. location and is making its debut festival appearance near the iconic Ferris wheel where guests can watch their churros being prepared fresh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 27, 2026

Avery lay dreaming that the Ferris wheel had stopped and that he was in the top car.

From "Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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