wheelbarrow
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of wheelbarrow
Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at wheel, barrow 1
Explanation
A wheelbarrow is a garden tool that's used to transport piles of dirt, weeds, or any other small load. If you have a big pile of sand to move, we recommend using a wheelbarrow. Most wheelbarrows are little carts with two long handles and one wheel in front, designed so that one person can more easily move a heavy load on their own. The very oldest evidence of wheelbarrows comes from ancient China, where a mural painted on the walls of a tomb around 118 AD includes a figure pushing a wheelbarrow. The word itself is a 14th-century variation on barrow, "flat frame with handles for carrying a load."
Vocabulary lists containing wheelbarrow
Chinese History - Introductory
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Chinese History - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But some aspects of his account didn't add up, such as why he had used a wheelbarrow to get her back into the house and waited 14 hours to call an ambulance.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
"I came on Tuesday. I live a 30-minute walk away, and I take the sacks back with that," he said, pointing to the wheelbarrow he acquired for the purpose.
From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026
On the following day, Williams honored her sports skills by hosting volleyball, tennis, dodgeball, wheelbarrow races, and pickleball games.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 29, 2025
Owners begin by getting their dog used to a custom-made harness and long walks with lower weights, say a coffee can filled with stones or a wheelbarrow tire.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
I set the lantern in the wheelbarrow, pushed it down the hall to the fourth door on the right, and held my breath as I unlocked it.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
