wheelbase

American

[hweel-beys, weel-] / ˈʰwilˌbeɪs, ˈwil- /

noun

Automotive.

the distance from the center of the front-wheel spindle to the center of the rear-wheel axle.

wheelbase British

/ ˈwiːlˌbeɪs /

noun

the distance between the front and back axles of a motor vehicle

"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

Etymology

Origin of wheelbase

First recorded in 1885–90; wheel + base ¹

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.

The latest Palisade is larger and longer, in wheelbase and overall length, than the first-gen model.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 8, 2026

"A total of 14 hives have gone, so they're likely to have been taken in a vehicle similar to a long wheelbase Ford Transit, or a trailer," he said.

From BBC • Aug. 3, 2023

It was steered by its rear wheel, using steel cables in sheaves, and could turn in a circle with a radius only slightly greater than its wheelbase.

From Slate • Aug. 2, 2022

Honda is also stressing the vehicle’s long wheelbase and short overhang, or the length of the vehicle that extends beyond its wheelbase.

From The Verge • May 18, 2022

Panhard, with a short wheelbase, was in the yard.

From Through East Anglia in a Motor Car by Vincent, J. E. (James Edmund)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023