windmill
Americannoun
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any of various machines for grinding, pumping, etc., driven by the force of the wind acting upon a number of vanes or sails.
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(loosely) a wind generator; wind plant.
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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.
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an imaginary opponent, wrong, etc. (in allusion to Cervantes'Don Quixote ).
to tilt at windmills.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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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
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the set of vanes or sails that drives such a mill
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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
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an imaginary opponent or evil (esp in the phrase tilt at or fight windmills )
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a small air-driven propeller fitted to a light aircraft to drive auxiliary equipment Compare ram-air turbine
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an informal name for helicopter
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an informal name for propeller
verb
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to move or cause to move like the arms of a windmill
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an informal name for accommodation bill
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(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
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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windmillsimple
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windmillssimple
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have windmilledperfect
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has windmilledperfect
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am windmillingprogressive
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are windmillingprogressive
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is windmillingprogressive
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have been windmillingperfect progressive
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has been windmillingperfect progressive
Past
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windmilledsimple
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had windmilledperfect
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was windmillingprogressive
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were windmillingprogressive
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had been windmillingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of windmill
Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at wind 1, mill 1
Explanation
A structure that uses the power of flowing air to produce electricity or pump water is called a windmill. The Netherlands is especially famous for its windmills, some of which are hundreds of years old. The very oldest European windmills were called "post mills," upright posts topped with a turning blade or "sail" that rotated to face the wind. Today, the most recognizable windmills are "tower mills," stone or brick structures with wooden roofs that can spin as the wind direction changes, moving the rotating sail as needed. As the blades move, the machinery of the mill itself is powered to grind corn, pump water, or generate power for other uses.
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:
In the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, Miami's Keshad Johnson won the title with 97.4 points after a windmill dunk in the final round.
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 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
There will be illustrator residencies in London's oldest surviving windmill and free public gardens.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025
They have the largest wooden windmill in America.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025
The animals were hard at work building yet another windmill; when that one was finished, so it was said, the dynamos would be installed.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Many technologies can generate low-frequency noise, including ventilation systems, heat pumps, road traffic and windmills.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
Within the monument, we rambled along Soda Lake Road, admiring windmills, an old ranch house now reserved for bats, and a few hills dotted with lazy cows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
In a statement, the Department of the Interior said it was pausing five large-sale projects to look into how windmills could interfere with radar and create other risks to east coast cities.
From BBC ● Dec. 22, 2025
It described its thinly profitable gas turbines as “stabilizing” and seemed to want to call more attention to windmills.
From Barron's ● Dec. 12, 2025
His arms spun like windmills fighting for balance.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
As that set ended, with Djokovic reaching a shot ball and replying at an impossible angle, he windmilled his arms and then pointed to his ear.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 1, 2024
He slipped and windmilled his arms to regain his balance, which made him think about how humans balance ourselves.
From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2021
Dark-eyed, dressy little town dolls and dutch-bobbed blondies from windmilled countrysides.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 8, 2019
What was left of the propeller windmilled as air rushed over it.
From The Verge ● Jun. 24, 2018
Jack frantically windmilled his arms and managed to avoid knocking them both down, though he had to grab May’s shoulders to keep from falling over.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
We're not going to see AJ run across the ring in the first few seconds and start windmilling.
From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025
Bae caught teammate Jason Delay chugging toward home and third base coach Mike Rabello’s right arm windmilling.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 7, 2023
Another man picks him up, in a pietà-shaped cradle carry, then sets him back down before helping him rise again with a convulsive, windmilling, resurrecting dance.
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2022
A few relievers stretched in the bullpen, swinging their legs, windmilling their arms in the humid air.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 13, 2021
She stops spinning her handles and switches into her victory dance, windmilling her arms as she leaps around the room.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
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.
