training wheels

American  

noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. a pair of small wheels attached one on each side of the rear wheel of a bicycle for stability while one is learning to ride.

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Example Sentences

Then look down, around you, at street level, and realize that we might be Manhattan with training wheels.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Your child will have to call the institution that holds the account to retitle everything under their own name, at which point the proverbial training wheels come off.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

"You can think of the fetal globin gene as the training wheels on a kid's bike," says Prof. Crossley.

From Science Daily • Jan. 5, 2026

After dinner, Walley helped La’Riah practice riding a bike with no training wheels.

From Seattle Times • May 14, 2023

In rugby, locks came in pairs, like training wheels.

From "Winger" by Andrew Smith