wheelie

American

[hwee-lee, wee-] / ˈʰwi li, ˈwi- /

noun

a small, usually folding, metal frame with wheels for carrying luggage or small packages.
a maneuver in which a bicycle, motorcycle, or car has its front wheel or wheels momentarily lifted off the ground.

wheelie British

/ ˈwiːlɪ /

noun

a manoeuvre on a bicycle or motorbike in which the front wheel is raised off the ground

"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 wheelie

First recorded in 1960–65; wheel + -ie

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.

See Examples For:

wheelie

Okimoto acquired a gray wheelie bag shortly after that “because I didn’t want to get the grief,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

Images circulating on social media showed the truck performing a wheelie before swerving off the track and crashing into the barriers separating the public from the track.

From Barron's ● May 4, 2026

There is something in the air in Birmingham and it's not the faint whiff of overflowing wheelie bins.

From BBC ● Apr. 19, 2026

"I mean I'm envious, I wish I could pop a wheelie like that. I'm just thankful I don't have boys that age."

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

You were trying to do a wheelie and flew right over the handlebars.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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