cartwheel

[ kahrt-hweel, -weel ]

/ ˈkɑrtˌʰwil, -ˌwil /

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noun

an acrobatic feat in which a person starts from a standing position, with arms extended, and wheels the body sideways, landing first on the hands and then on the feet and usually repeating this in a series.

Slang. any large coin, especially a U.S. silver dollar.

Slang. an amphetamine tablet.

verb (used without object)

to roll forward end over end: The skier took a sudden spill and cartwheeled down the slope.

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Origin of cartwheel

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at cart, wheel

OTHER WORDS FROM cartwheel

cartwheeler, noun

Words nearby cartwheel

cartridge clip, cartridge paper, cartridge pen, cart track, cartulary, cartwheel, cartwheel flower, Cartwright, Caruaru, carucate, caruncle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cartwheel in a sentence

Three weeks after the first batch of images, NASA unveiled the breathtaking image of the Cartwheel galaxy.
Awesome! Here are the James Webb Space Telescope’s first pictures|Lisa Grossman|August 19, 2022|Science News For Students
The JWST image also identifies a contrast in textures between the core and the extremities of the Cartwheel Galaxy.
JWST’s latest snap captures the glimmering antics of the Cartwheel Galaxy|Purbita Saha|August 3, 2022|Popular-Science
The Cartwheel Galaxy, so called because of its bright inner ring and colorful outer ring, lies about 500 million light-years from Earth.
A new James Webb telescope image reveals a galactic collision’s aftermath|Lisa Grossman|August 3, 2022|Science News
They roll, cartwheel or backflip and then plummet to the ground.
Why these jumping toadlets get confused mid-flight|Meghan Rosen|July 22, 2022|Science News For Students

They roll, cartwheel or backflip and then plummet to the ground, often belly flopping or crash-landing on their backs.
Here’s why pumpkin toadlets are such clumsy jumpers|Meghan Rosen|June 15, 2022|Science News
Witnesses have portrayed her as a strange cartwheel performer with bad hygiene.
Amanda Knox Tells Her Story|Barbie Latza Nadeau|June 12, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Behind the table was a smooth and perfectly round hole in the wall about the size of a cartwheel.
Wonder-Box Tales|Jean Ingelow
Here has been Cartwheel, your sweetheart; what will become of him?
The Recruiting Officer|George Farquhar
Billy took everybodys attention away from him by turning an unexpected cartwheel in the middle of the floor.
Maida's Little Shop|Inez Haynes Irwin
They had been dredged up in the Isar's mud, found at a corner, dragged from under a cartwheel.
The Son of Clemenceau|Alexandre (fils) Dumas
"There's your dollar," said the Idiot, tossing a silver cartwheel across the table.
Half-Hours with the Idiot|John Kendrick Bangs

British Dictionary definitions for cartwheel

cartwheel

/ (ˈkɑːtˌwiːl) /

noun

the wheel of a cart, usually having wooden spokes and metal tyres

an acrobatic movement in which the body makes a sideways revolution supported on the hands with arms and legs outstretched

US slang a large coin, esp the silver dollar

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