sprocket

American  

[sprok-it] / ˈsprɒk ɪt /

noun

1. Machinery.

   1. Also called chainwheel.  Also called sprocket wheel.  a toothed wheel engaging with a conveyor or power chain.

   2. one tooth of such a wheel.

2. Carpentry. a wedge-shaped piece of wood extending a sloping roof over the eaves with a flatter pitch.

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sprocket British  

/ ˈsprɒkɪt /

noun

1. Also called: sprocket wheel.  a relatively thin wheel having teeth projecting radially from the rim, esp one that drives or is driven by a chain

2. an individual tooth on such a wheel

3. a cylindrical wheel with teeth on one or both rims for pulling film through a camera or projector

4. a small wedge-shaped piece of wood used to extend a roof over the eaves

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Etymology

Origin of sprocket

First recorded in 1530–40; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Over in a dilapidated shack on the opposite side of the highway, 24-year-old Nasratullah Raihan said much the same as he watched a repairman fiddle with the rear sprocket of his bicycle.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2021

He’s always been a gearhead, devoted to celluloid and sprocket holes, but his best movies are also sentimental as hell—big, sloppy tearjerkers wrapped inside clockwork thrillers.

From Slate • Aug. 27, 2020

I winch the jack five times and hear the sprocket chime out in the quiet shed.

From The Guardian • Mar. 22, 2018

At the Central Wood Car Wash in Largo, Md., owner Paul Earp turned on the big conveyor belt only to discover a cold-fractured sprocket.

From Washington Post • Dec. 28, 2017

In syrupy light Luce was feeding the celluloid through the sprocket wheel.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides