idle pulley

American

Or idler pulley

noun

Machinery.

a loose pulley made to press or rest on a belt in order to tighten or guide it.

idle pulley British

noun

Also called: idler. a freely rotating trolley used to control the tension or direction of a belt

"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 idle pulley

First recorded in 1885–1890

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.

To maintain equal tension of belt at whatever angle the cutter may be set, the idle pulley b2 acts as a belt tightener, being carried by the rods t and t1.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023