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pinwheeling

American

[pin-hwee-ling, -wee-] / ˈpɪnˌʰwi lɪŋ, -ˌwi- /

noun

U.S. Nautical.

the act of turning a multiple-screw ship within a minimum radius by having some engines going forward and others going in reverse.

Etymology

Origin of pinwheeling

pinwheel + -ing ¹

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.

The Crab Nebula features a neutron star at its center that has formed into a 12-mile-wide pulsar pinwheeling electromagnetic radiation across the cosmos.

From Science Daily • Nov. 18, 2024

The man and his car were pinwheeling down a flooded river before he was lifted to safety by a helicopter.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023

San Francisco’s Brett Wisely lost his bat while hitting a third-inning double play, sending it pinwheeling into the Reds dugout, where it disappeared into the opening to the tunnel leading to the clubhouse.

From Washington Times • Jul. 18, 2023

The Lakers are 0-3 this season, already pinwheeling their arms despite playing some of the Western Conference's weaker teams.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 2, 2015

The ground rumbled, the rocks under her feet gave way, and she fell, pinwheeling into the darkness below.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

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