wheelchair

[weel-chair, hweel-]

noun

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

wheelchair

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of wheelchair¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; wheel + chair

Example Sentences

The Motability scheme allows people in receipt of certain disability benefits to lease vehicles more cheaply including cars, scooters, and powered wheelchairs.

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He was desperate; he was in a wheelchair, and he’d had to move in with his son’s family in Cabot, Arkansas, because he couldn’t pay the rent on his trailer.

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Of course, for fliers whose main concern is mobility, airlines operating in the U.S. are required to provide transportation to and from gates via wheelchair at no additional charge for those who need it.

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Mr. Davenport, who makes films “about disability” according to his website, also makes them from the perspective of the disabled—he has cerebral palsy and often uses a wheelchair.

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The man did not engage with him during the ambulance journey but, shortly after being put in a wheelchair, he snapped.

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