freewheel

American  

[free-hweel, -weel] / ˈfriˈʰwil, -ˈwil /

noun

1. a device in the transmission of a motor vehicle that automatically disengages the drive shaft whenever it begins to turn more rapidly than the engine.

2. a form of rear bicycle wheel that has a device freeing it from the driving mechanism, as when the pedals are stopped in coasting.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of a vehicle or its operator) to coast with the wheels disengaged from the driving mechanism.

2. to move or function freely, independently, unconcernedly, or the like (often followed by about, through, around, etc.).

   The two friends freewheeled around the country after graduation.

freewheel British  

/ ˌfriːˈwiːl /

noun

1. a ratchet device in the rear hub of a bicycle wheel that permits the wheel to rotate freely while the pedals are stationary

2. a device in the transmission of some vehicles that automatically disengages the drive shaft when it rotates more rapidly than the engine shaft, so that the drive shaft can turn freely

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verb

1. (intr) to coast in a vehicle or on a bicycle using the freewheel

Etymology

Origin of freewheel

First recorded in 1895–1900; free + wheel

Example Sentences

Yet the bigger lesson of “Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie” is about resourcefulness and freewheeling imagination.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong was once known for its freewheeling media scene, a sharp contrast to tightly controlled mainland China.

From Barron's

So bold and freewheeling is the style that it skirts the edge of camp.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yet for all its mainstream success, Polymarket hasn’t managed to stamp out controversy tied to its freewheeling markets, most of which remain unregulated.

From The Wall Street Journal

Oil also allowed passages of bravura brushwork that often dissolved forms in a freewheeling, coloristic haze.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cruise
• drift
• sail
• skate