Ferris wheel

[ fer-is ]
/ ˈfɛr ɪs /

noun

an amusement ride consisting of a large upright wheel rotating on a fixed stand and having seats around its rim suspended freely so that they remain right side up as they revolve.

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Origin of Ferris wheel

1890–95; named after G. W. G. Ferris (died 1896), American engineer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for ferris wheel

  • After that we came to the place where Daredevil Dennell used to go up in a balloon and just beyond there is the ferris-wheel.

    Roy Blakeley's Bee-line Hike|Percy Keese Fitzhugh

  • All he saw was what appeared to be a sort of ferris-wheel, except that it was revolving in a horizontal plane.

    Minor Detail|John Michael Sharkey

British Dictionary definitions for ferris wheel

Ferris wheel
/ (ˈfɛrɪs) /

noun

a fairground wheel having seats freely suspended from its rim; the seats remain horizontal throughout its rotation

Word Origin for Ferris wheel

C19: named after G.W.G. Ferris (1859–96), American engineer
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