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cogwheel

American  
[kog-hweel, -weel] / ˈkɒgˌʰwil, -ˌwil /

noun

  1. (not in technical use) a gearwheel, especially one having teeth of hardwood or metal inserted into slots.

cogwheel British  
/ ˈkɒɡˌwiːl /

noun

  1. another name for gearwheel

"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

Etymology

Origin of cogwheel

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; cog 1, wheel

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.

There are red cogwheel trains and cable cars.

From New York Times • May 12, 2022

The cleverly punctuated title of Dennis Duncan’s book, “Index, A History of The,” should signal that this isn’t a dry account of a small cogwheel in the publishing machine.

From Washington Post • Feb. 18, 2022

You set it up using the web version of Gmail: Click on the “Settings” cogwheel in the upper right corner, and on “See all settings.”

From The Verge • Aug. 4, 2021

To turn off Yahoo Mail’s preview pane, click the cogwheel in the top right corner, and select Settings.

From The Guardian • Sep. 22, 2016

We walked in the town and took the cogwheel railway down to Ouchy and walked beside the lake.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

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.