wheel

American  

[hweel, weel] / ʰwil, wil /

noun

• wheels
  plural

1. a circular frame or disk arranged to revolve on an axis, as on or in vehicles or machinery.

2. any machine, apparatus, instrument, etc., shaped like this or having a circular frame, disk, or revolving drum as an essential feature.

   a potter's wheel; roulette wheel; spinning wheel.

3. steering wheel.

4. Nautical.

   1. a circular frame with an axle connecting to the rudder of a ship, for steering.

      He took the wheel during the storm.

   2. a paddle wheel.

   3. a propeller.

5. Informal. a bicycle.

6. a round object, decoration, etc..

   a wheel of cheese; a design of red wheels and blue squares.

7. an old instrument of torture in the form of a circular frame on which the victim was stretched until disjointed.

8. a circular firework that revolves rapidly while burning; pinwheel.

9. a rotating instrument that Fortune is represented as turning in order to bring about changes or reverses in human affairs.

10. wheels,

    1. moving, propelling, or animating agencies.

       the wheels of commerce; the wheels of thought.

    2. Slang. a personal means of transportation, especially a car.

11. a cycle, recurring action, or steady progression.

    the wheel of days and nights.

12. a wheeling or circular movement.

    the intricate wheels of the folk dances.

13. (formerly) a movement of troops, ships, etc., drawn up in line, as if turning on a pivot.

14. Informal. someone active and influential, as in business, politics, etc.; an important person.

    a big wheel.

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verb (used with object)

• wheels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wheeled,
  past participle,  past
• wheeling
  present participle

1. to cause to turn, rotate, or revolve, as on an axis.

2. to perform (a movement) in a circular or curving direction.

3. to move, roll, or convey on wheels, casters, etc..

   The servants wheel the tables out.

4. to provide (a vehicle, machine, etc.) with wheels.

verb (used without object)

• wheels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wheeled,
  past participle,  past
• wheeling
  present participle

1. to turn on or as on an axis or about a center; revolve, rotate, or pivot.

2. to move in a circular or curving course.

   pigeons wheeling above.

3. to turn so as to face in a different direction (often followed by about oraround ).

   He wheeled about and faced his opponent squarely.

4. to change one's opinion or procedure (often followed by about oraround ).

   He wheeled around and argued for the opposition.

5. to roll along on or as on wheels; travel along smoothly.

   The car wheeled along the highway.

6. British Military. to turn.

   Right wheel!

idioms

1. wheels within wheels, an involved interaction of motives or agencies operating to produce the final result.

   Government agencies are a study of wheels within wheels.

2. at the wheel,

   1. at the helm of a ship, the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, etc.

   2. in command or control.

      Her ambition is to be at the wheel of a large corporation by the age of 40.

3. hell on wheels. hell.

4. spin one's wheels, to expend or waste effort to no avail.

   He spun his wheels on that project for two years.

5. wheel and deal, to operate dynamically for one's own profit or benefit.

wheel British  

/ wiːl /

noun

1. a solid disc, or a circular rim joined to a hub by radial or tangential spokes, that is mounted on a shaft about which it can turn, as in vehicles and machines

2. anything like a wheel in shape or function

3. a device consisting of or resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its principal component

   a steering wheel

   a water wheel

4. a medieval torture consisting of a wheel to which the victim was tied and then had his limbs struck and broken by an iron bar

5. short for wheel of fortune potter's wheel

6. the act of turning

7. a pivoting movement of troops, ships, etc

8. a type of firework coiled to make it rotate when let off

9. a set of short rhyming lines, usually four or five in number, forming the concluding part of a stanza Compare bob 2

10. the disc in which the ball is spun in roulette

11. an informal word for bicycle

12. archaic a refrain

13. informal a person of great influence (esp in the phrase big wheel )

14. 1. driving or steering a vehicle or vessel

    2. in charge

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verb

1. to turn or cause to turn on or as if on an axis

2. to move or cause to move on or as if on wheels; roll

3. (tr) to perform with or in a circular movement

4. (tr) to provide with a wheel or wheels

5. to change one's mind or opinion

6. informal to be a free agent, esp to advance one's own interests

wheel More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing wheel

• asleep at the switch (wheel)
• at the wheel
• big cheese (wheel)
• cog in the wheel
• fifth wheel
• grease (oil) the wheels
• hell on wheels
• put one's shoulder to the wheel
• reinvent the wheel
• set (wheels) in motion
• spin one's wheels
• squeaky wheel gets the grease

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underwheel
  noun
• unwheel
  verb (used with object)
• wheel-less
  adjective
• wheelless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wheels
  plural

Participles

• wheeling
  present
• wheeled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wheel
  simple
• wheels
  simple
• have wheeled
  perfect
• has wheeled
  perfect
• am wheeling
  progressive
• are wheeling
  progressive
• is wheeling
  progressive
• have been wheeling
  perfect progressive
• has been wheeling
  perfect progressive

Past

• wheeled
  simple
• had wheeled
  perfect
• was wheeling
  progressive
• were wheeling
  progressive
• had been wheeling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wheel
  simple
• will have wheeled
  perfect
• will be wheeling
  progressive
• will have been wheeling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of wheel

First recorded before 900; (for the noun) Middle English whel(e), Old English hwēol, hweohl; cognate with Dutch wiel, Old Norse hjōl; akin to Greek kýklos, Persian charkh, Sanskrit cakra-; verb derivative of the noun

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wheel wheels wheeled wheeling

That a wheel of Parmigiano could represent thousands of livelihoods.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

One wheel of the plane sat near the debris, completely detached from the aircraft.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

A wheel rolled over his left foot, causing a serious injury that required medical assistance, a witness told SFist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

"We've got to have more trust in what we're doing, keep our shoulder to the wheel and do simple things better."

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

As Clare made his way to the dump, the haze was so thick, one would not even know he passed but for the whiny wheel on his worn-out wagon.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Nearly 40,000 participated, and all 360,000 damaged wheels were sold.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

But my generation also understands AI should only ever be the grease on the wheels, never the one in the driver’s seat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

It was, of course, trading Jared Verse for Garrett that got Donald’s wheels grinding, McVay said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

He can't tie his own shoelaces and his Vespa scooter strains to bear his weight - in one week, its wheels broke seven times.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

If she closed her eyes, she could still hear the clickety-clack of the wheels.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

TMZ published photos of someone who appears to be Graham being wheeled outside of his home and into an ambulance.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Finally, the long-anticipated moment arrived: Firefighters wheeled out a gurney carrying Hernán Alberto Gil Flores — a security guard who survived for more than a week trapped under a mountain of rubble.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 5, 2026

"We're good with the heat, but the humidity is a different beast," he said as he wheeled his rental bicycle along a section of the National Mall crowded with tourists.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

By the mid-15th century, handguns—the term for portable firearms as contrasted with artillery pieces mounted on wheeled carriages—were in regular battlefield use.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026

I wheeled my bike into the hallway, feeling stained.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

I’m wheeling my bike off it with balletic ease, definitely not annoying my fellow commuters as I lug it down the stairs.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

When the convention was first announced, it sounded like it might be a thrilling opportunity to see real wheeling and dealing on a convention floor from which a nominee would eventually emerge.

From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026

On a recent afternoon, volunteers bustled around the museum wheeling carts of jaws and vertebrae carefully organized by species.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2026

While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops.

From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2025

She could see the angel Xaphania gliding above the landing ground, and then rising and wheeling up to the tower as the craft made for the ramparts.

From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman

Related Words

• pivot
• spin
• trundle
• twirl
• whirl