waterwheel

or wa·ter wheel

[ waw-ter-hweel, -weel, wot-er- ]

/ ˈwɔ tərˌʰwil, -ˌwil, ˈwɒt ər- /

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noun

a wheel or turbine turned by the weight or momentum of water and used to operate machinery.

a wheel with buckets for raising or drawing water, as a noria.

the paddle wheel of a steamboat.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of waterwheel

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at water, wheel

Words nearby waterwheel

waterward, Water, water everywhere, / Nor any drop to drink, water wave, waterway, waterweed, waterwheel, water willow, water wings, water witch, water witching, waterworks

How to use waterwheel in a sentence

She included a waterwheel as a backup power source, because in Mobile, she explains, “you can never tell with the weather.”
Bubbles could help remove trash from rivers|Anna Gibbs|May 12, 2022|Science News For Students
Ceramic pipes were made to carry water from the spring to a waterwheel.
Space Prison|Tom Godwin
They are as swift as a waterwheel, each of them past another, one of them to the King's room, the other to the fire.
The Harvard Classics, Volume 49, Epic and Saga|Various
The whole was moved by an overshot waterwheel placed at the Bellevue dock.
Scientific American, Volume 40, No. 13, March 29, 1879|Various

The little buckets on the waterwheel keep an almost endless stream flowing into the irrigation ditch.
Birdseye Views of Far Lands|James T. Nichols
The next morning the girl heard the noise of the waterwheel, and she opened the lattice and looked out of the window.
The Grey Fairy Book|Various

British Dictionary definitions for waterwheel

water wheel

noun

a simple water-driven turbine consisting of a wheel having vanes set axially across its rim, used to drive machinery

a wheel with buckets attached to its rim for raising water from a stream, pond, etc

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