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Synonyms

freewheel

American  
[free-hweel, -weel] / ˈfriˈʰwil, -ˈwil /

noun

  1. a device in the transmission of a motor vehicle that automatically disengages the drive shaft whenever it begins to turn more rapidly than the engine.

  2. a form of rear bicycle wheel that has a device freeing it from the driving mechanism, as when the pedals are stopped in coasting.

verb (used without object)

  1. (of a vehicle or its operator) to coast with the wheels disengaged from the driving mechanism.

  2. to move or function freely, independently, unconcernedly, or the like (often followed by about, through, around, etc.).

    The two friends freewheeled around the country after graduation.
freewheel British  
/ ˌfriːˈwiːl /

noun

  1. a ratchet device in the rear hub of a bicycle wheel that permits the wheel to rotate freely while the pedals are stationary

  2. a device in the transmission of some vehicles that automatically disengages the drive shaft when it rotates more rapidly than the engine shaft, so that the drive shaft can turn freely

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to coast in a vehicle or on a bicycle using the freewheel

"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 freewheel

First recorded in 1895–1900; free + 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.

Much as they’d done in that affair, the Capitals in this one threw an early blanket around the Kraken’s forward lines and left them precious room to freewheel.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2022

There are six programmable buttons, and much like Logitech’s Master series of ergonomic mice, the Precision Mouse features a scroll wheel that can either move in steps or be released to freewheel through large pages.

From The Verge • Nov. 22, 2021

How they’d love to get the job done and freewheel towards their date with destiny in Istanbul.

From The Guardian • May 8, 2021

What did Andy Muschietti think when you would freewheel swear on set?

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 13, 2017

The basalt highway led gradually downward, and after a while the slope increased, so the creatures could freewheel.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

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.