wheel

[ weel, hweel ]

/ wil, ʰwil /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: wheel / wheeled / wheeling / wheels on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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.

steering wheel.

Nautical.

a circular frame with an axle connecting to the rudder of a ship, for steering: He took the wheel during the storm.
a paddle wheel.
a propeller.

Informal. a bicycle.

a round object, decoration, etc.: a wheel of cheese; a design of red wheels and blue squares.

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

a circular firework that revolves rapidly while burning; pinwheel.

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

wheels,

moving, propelling, or animating agencies: the wheels of commerce; the wheels of thought.
Slang. a personal means of transportation, especially a car.

a cycle, recurring action, or steady progression: the wheel of days and nights.

a wheeling or circular movement: the intricate wheels of the folk dances.

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

Informal. someone active and influential, as in business, politics, etc.; an important person: a big wheel.

verb (used with object)

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

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

to move, roll, or convey on wheels, casters, etc.: The servants wheel the tables out.

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

verb (used without object)

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

to move in a circular or curving course: pigeons wheeling above.

to turn so as to face in a different direction (often followed by about or around): He wheeled about and faced his opponent squarely.

to change one's opinion or procedure (often followed by about or around): He wheeled around and argued for the opposition.

to roll along on or as on wheels; travel along smoothly: The car wheeled along the highway.

British Military. to turn: Right wheel!

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about wheel

at the wheel,

at the helm of a ship, the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, etc.
in command or control: Her ambition is to be at the wheel of a large corporation by the age of 40.

hell on wheels. hell (def. 19).

spin one's wheels, Informal. to expend or waste effort to no avail: He spun his wheels on that project for two years.

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

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.

Origin of wheel

before 900; (noun) Middle English whel(e), Old English hwēol, hweohl; cognate with Dutch wiel,Old Norse hjōl; akin to Greek kýklos (see cycle); (v.) Middle English, derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM wheel

wheel·less, adjectiveun·der·wheel, nounun·wheel, verb (used with object)

Words nearby wheel

Wheatstone, Wheatstone bridge, wheatworm, whee, wheedle, wheel, wheel and axle, wheel and deal, wheel animalcule, wheel back, wheelbarrow

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wheel in a sentence

An ATV’s power goes to zero as soon as the wheels lose traction, so naturally, you want more grip.
Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged|By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
But, we aren’t at a point where marketers can take our hands entirely off the steering wheel.
Google’s search terms move will make millions in ad spend invisible to advertisers|Ginny Marvin|September 3, 2020|Search Engine Land
The wheels and legs do stick out a bit beyond the actual grill when it’s folded.
5 Portable Grills for All Your Outdoor Cooking Needs|Amy Marturana Winderl|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
In hub drive systems, the motor is housed in one of the wheels.
Do You Want to Buy an E-Cargo Bike? Read This First.|Joe Lindsey|August 30, 2020|Outside Online

It would have to put an impossibly large number of customers behind the wheel.
Tesla has a business model problem: It can never justify its current stock price by simply making cars|Shawn Tully|August 29, 2020|Fortune
They were racing toward the corner of Tompkins and Myrtle avenues with Johnson at the wheel when another call came over the radio.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“They think Putin is the only evil in Russia and dream about getting rid of him,” he said, tightening his grip on the wheel.
Think Putin’s Bad? Wait for the Next Guy|Anna Nemtsova|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Maybe the wheel will turn again, and heterosexuality will come to seem edgy.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was only a matter of time that the wheel turned its full revolution.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The “little joker” was a small tin wheel with a wire attached to it, which fit inside the combination of any bank safe.
The High Society Bank Robber of the 1800s|J. North Conway|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Never again would he sit behind that wheel rejoicing in the insolence of speed.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
He deposited it on the vacant seat, clambered up behind the wheel, and started.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The non-elastic character of water made it unsuitable for a machine requiring a fly-wheel.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
To quote Mrs. Kaye, 'A Liberal peer is as useful as a fifth wheel to a coach, and as ornamental as whitewash.'
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
I think 6½ feet diameter for the fly, and 9½ inches diameter for the small wheel, will give speed enough to the drum.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for wheel

wheel

/ (wiːl) /

noun

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

anything like a wheel in shape or function

a device consisting of or resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its principal componenta steering wheel; a water wheel

the wheel 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

short for wheel of fortune, potter's wheel

the act of turning

a pivoting movement of troops, ships, etc

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

a set of short rhyming lines, usually four or five in number, forming the concluding part of a stanzaCompare bob 2 (def. 7)

the disc in which the ball is spun in roulette

US and Canadian an informal word for bicycle

archaic a refrain

informal, mainly US and Canadian a person of great influence (esp in the phrase big wheel)

at the wheel

driving or steering a vehicle or vessel
in charge

verb

(when intr sometimes foll by about or round) to turn or cause to turn on or as if on an axis

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

(tr) to perform with or in a circular movement

(tr) to provide with a wheel or wheels

(intr often foll by about) to change one's mind or opinion

wheel and deal informal to be a free agent, esp to advance one's own interests

Derived forms of wheel

wheel-less, adjective

Word Origin for wheel

Old English hweol, hweowol; related to Old Norse hvēl, Greek kuklos, Middle Low German wēl, Dutch wiel

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with wheel

wheel

In addition to the idioms beginning with wheel

wheel and deal
wheels in motion
wheels within wheels

also see:

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

wheel

Idioms about wheel

Origin of wheel

OTHER WORDS FROM wheel

Words nearby wheel

Words related to wheel

How to use wheel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wheel

Derived forms of wheel

Word Origin for wheel

Other Idioms and Phrases with wheel