spinning wheel

American

noun

a device formerly used for spinning wool, flax, etc., into yarn or thread, consisting essentially of a single spindle driven by a large wheel operated by hand or foot.

spinning wheel British

noun

a wheel-like machine for spinning at home, having one hand- or foot-operated spindle

"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 spinning wheel

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

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.

A tweet about Tuesday’s announcement included a video showing a spinning wheel with a Tesla logo that could have been the rotor of a Tesla eVTOL, or quadcopter drone.

From Barron's • Oct. 7, 2025

As the potter works the spinning wheel, the friction between their hands and the soft clay helps them shape it into all kinds of forms and creations.

From Science Daily • Jan. 9, 2024

There’s also a nod to the spinning wheel in ‘Sleeping Beauty.’

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2023

Originally devised as a TV version of popular game "Hangman", it revolves around a spinning wheel which determines the prizes to be won by solving word puzzles.

From BBC • Jun. 12, 2023

It was the classic kind, the sort of spinning wheel most people imagined if they needed to form a mental picture of one.

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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