spinning wheel

American  

noun

• spinning wheels
  plural

1. 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.

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spinning wheel British  

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• spinning wheels
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of spinning wheel

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

spinning wheel

To him, Zurbarán offers a contrast to the “bravura brushstrokes of Diego Velázquez that produce, for example, the illusion of a spinning wheel spinning.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

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

I felt like the spinning wheel had bitten me, like it had clamped down on me because it didn’t want me to spin.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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