wheelchair

American  

[weel-chair, hweel-] / ˈwilˌtʃɛər, ˈʰwil- /

noun

• wheelchairs
  plural

1. a chair mounted on wheels for use by persons who cannot walk.

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wheelchair British  

/ ˈwiːlˌtʃɛə /

noun

1. med a special chair mounted on large wheels, for use by invalids or others for whom walking is impossible or temporarily inadvisable

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• wheelchairs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wheelchair

First recorded in 1690–1700; wheel + chair

Explanation

A wheelchair is a device people use to get around independently if they are unable to walk. You can easily navigate sidewalks, businesses, and schools in a wheelchair, as long as there are appropriate ramps and elevators available. A wheelchair is just what it sounds like: a chair with wheels. When people have injuries or conditions that don't allow them to use their legs for walking, using a wheelchair gives them a new kind of mobility. While the earliest wheelchairs had to be pushed by another person, today you can propel a wheelchair yourself, either manually, by pushing the wheels to move forward, or using electricity.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wheelchair wheelchairs

PIP was meant to help with things like modifying homes or cars for wheelchair access.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Abascal, who used a wheelchair, died in hospital two weeks after her eviction from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for 70 years.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Phoebe said her parents lifted her back into her wheelchair to get off the train using the ramp, but staff were not waiting to assist her.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Phoebe said she was told by staff to try and get her wheelchair through the train aisle, but it did not fit so she crawled through three carriages.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Adria and I would do wheelies in his wheelchair, which he wasn’t too happy about.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

They climb ladders, romp in mud and push each other around in secondhand wheelchairs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Survivors disembarked a rescue boat at the French port of Calais in the mid-morning, some on stretchers and in wheelchairs, many wrapped in emergency blankets, an AFP correspondent said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

He also worked as a 'chairman' in nearby Bath, transporting sick and infirm people through the city's steep streets in wheelchairs and sedan chairs despite his own physical injuries.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026

Mariko Nakamura of NTT said she believed the tech could be developed for other devices like wheelchairs or remote controls.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Minutes pass and old people disappear until the row of wheelchairs resembles a jack-o-lantern’s gap-toothed smile.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen