flywheel

American  

[flahy-hweel, -weel] / ˈflaɪˌʰwil, -ˌwil /

noun

Machinery.

• flywheels
  plural

1. a heavy disk or wheel rotating on a shaft so that its momentum gives almost uniform rotational speed to the shaft and to all connected machinery.

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flywheel British  

/ ˈflaɪˌwiːl /

noun

1. a heavy wheel that stores kinetic energy and smooths the operation of a reciprocating engine by maintaining a constant speed of rotation over the whole cycle

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• flywheels
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flywheel

First recorded in 1775–85; fly ² + wheel

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flywheel flywheels

When executed carefully, deploying Disney IP in one flywheel node can actually increase demand in the others, not cannibalize it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Speaking of distribution, the next critical element of the company’s flywheel strategy was discovered by accident!

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

Nvidia’s capital allocation strategy, powered by its AI-driven cash flywheel, prioritizes funding its high-return growth initiatives, expanding its AI ecosystem, and returning significant excess cash to shareholders.

From Barron's ● May 29, 2026

Whilst these devices are designed for longer term space missions, the recent Artemis II mission around the moon took a specially developed exercise device called the flywheel.

From BBC ● May 22, 2026

It passed the flywheel, sending the flags spinning, then fell into the final drop.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Images on social media purport to show one of the chairlift's flywheels off it's spoke.

From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2025

For the MK-3, Dart Zone’s using serrated flywheels that appear to be slightly shredding every dart I fire out the end.

From The Verge ● Sep. 29, 2021

G.M., in other words, was adept at creating flywheels.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 10, 2019

Excess solar energy will be stored via flywheels housed in a communal building.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 14, 2017

It grew louder, angrier, and suggested the high-velocity spin of flywheels or electric turbines turning at impossible speed.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan