Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense wheels, present participle wheeling, past tense, past participle wheeled
1. countable noun
The wheels of a vehicle are the circular objects which are fixed underneath it and which enable it to move along the ground.
The car wheels spun and slipped on some oil on the road.
See on wheels
2. countable noun
A wheel is a circular object which forms a part of a machine, usually a moving part.
...an eighteenth century mill with a water wheel.
3. countable noun [usually singular]
The wheel of a car or other vehicle is the circular object that is used to steer it. The wheel is used in expressions to talk about who is driving a vehicle. For example, if someone is at the wheel of a car, they are driving it.
My co-pilot suddenly grabbed the wheel.
Curtis got behind the wheel and they started back toward the cottage.
Roberto handed Flynn the keys and let him take the wheel.
4. plural noun
People sometimes refer to a car as wheels.
[informal]
'Do you own a house?'—'No. But I have wheels.'
5. verb
If you wheel an object that has wheels somewhere, you push it along.
He wheeled his bike into the alley at the side of the house. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
They wheeled her out on the stretcher. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Synonyms: push, trundle, roll More Synonyms of wheel
6. verb
If something such as a group of animals or birds wheels, it moves in a circle.
[literary]
A flock of crows wheeled overhead. [VERB]
Synonyms: circle, orbit, go round, twirl More Synonyms of wheel
7. verb
If you wheel around, you turn around suddenly where you are standing, often because you are surprised, shocked, or angry.
He wheeled around to face her. [VERB adverb]
She wheeled sharply and headed for the check-out counter. [VERB]
Synonyms: turn, swing, spin, revolve More Synonyms of wheel
8. singular noun [theNOUNof noun]
You use wheel in expressions such as the wheel of fortune to refer to the changes that take place in life, especially when you are referring to the fact that the same situations occur more than once.
The wheel of fortune will swing round again; in politics, it always does.
In his view the wheel of history could not be turned back.
9. plural noun
People talk about the wheels of an organization or system to mean the way in which it operates.
He knows the wheels of administration turn slowly. [+ of]
10. to oil the wheels
11.
See wheels within wheels
12. See also Catherine wheel, meals on wheels, potter's wheel, spare wheel, spinning wheel, steering wheel, water wheel
More Synonyms of wheel
wheel in British English
(wiːl)
noun
1.
a solid disc, or a circular rim joined to a hub by radial or tangential spokes, that is mounted on a shaft about which it can turn, as in vehicles and machines
2.
anything like a wheel in shape or function
3.
a device consisting of or resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its principal component
a steering wheel
a water wheel
4. the wheel
5. short for wheel of fortune, potter's wheel
6.
the act of turning
7.
a pivoting movement of troops, ships, etc
8.
a type of firework coiled to make it rotate when let off
9.
a set of short rhyming lines, usually four or five in number, forming the concluding part of a stanza
Compare bob2 (sense 7)
10.
the disc in which the ball is spun in roulette
11. US and Canadian an informal word for bicycle
12. archaic
a refrain
13. informal, mainly US and Canadian
a person of great influence (esp in the phrase big wheel)
14. at the wheel
verb
15. (whenintr sometimes foll by about or round)
to turn or cause to turn on or as if on an axis
16.
to move or cause to move on or as if on wheels; roll
17. (transitive)
to perform with or in a circular movement
18. (transitive)
to provide with a wheel or wheels
19. (intransitive; often foll byabout)
to change one's mind or opinion
20. wheel and deal
Derived forms
wheel-less (ˈwheel-less)
adjective
Word origin
Old English hweol, hweowol; related to Old Norse hvēl, Greek kuklos, Middle Low German wēl, Dutch wiel
wheel in American English
(hwil; wil)
noun
1.
a solid or partly solid disk, or a circular frame connected by spokes to a central hub, capable of turning on a central axis and usedas to move vehicles or transmit power in machinery
2.
anything like a wheel in shape, movement, action, etc., as a fireworks device thatrevolves while burning
3.
a device or apparatus of which the principal element is a wheel or wheels
; specif.,
a.
in the Middle Ages, an instrument of torture consisting of a circular frame on which the victim's limbs were painfully stretched
b.
a wheel with projecting handles for controlling the rudder of a ship
c.
paddle wheel, potter's wheel, spinning wheel, steering wheel, etc.
d.
any of various rotatable disks used for gambling
a roulette wheel
e. US, Informal
a bicycle
f. US; [pl.]; Slang
an automobile
4. [usually pl.]
the moving, propelling, or controlling forces or agencies
the wheels of progress
5.
a turning about; circular, rotating, or revolving movement; specif., a turning movementas of troops or ships in line, with one end of the line as the pivot; also, any pivotingmovement like this, as of dancers
6. US, Slang
an important, influential, or authoritative person
: also big wheel
7. Archaic
the refrain of a song
verb transitive
8.
a.
to move or roll along (something equipped with wheels)
to wheel a baby buggy
b.
to transport in a wheeled vehicle
9.
to cause to turn, revolve, or rotate
10.
to furnish with a wheel or wheels
verb intransitive
11.
to turn on or as on an axis; pivot, rotate, revolve, etc.
12.
to reverse one's course of action, movement, opinion, attitude, etc.
often with about
13.
to turn in a swooping, circular motion
said of birds
14.
to move or roll along on or as on wheels
Idioms:
at the wheel
spin one's wheels
wheel and deal
wheel of fortune
wheels within wheels
Word origin
ME whele < OE hweol, earlier hweogol < IE *kwekwlo-, wheel (> Gr kyklos, a circle) < base *kwel-, to turn, be around, dwell > Gr telos, turning point, end, polos, axis, L colere, to till, dwell, Ger hals, neck
wheel in Automotive Engineering
(wil)
Word forms: (regular plural) wheels
noun
(Automotive engineering: Vehicle components, Brakes, steering, wheels, tires, and suspension)
The wheels of a vehicle are the circular objects that are attached underneath it and that enableit to move along the ground.
The car wheels spun and slipped on some oil on the road.
The coupe has 17-inch tires on aluminum six-spoke wheels.
The car has reconditioned tires on three of the wheels.
spare wheel, wheel arch, wheel nut, wheel well
Wheel parts include:hubhubcapkingpinrimwheel nutThe space in a vehicle's structure where the wheel is positioned is a wheel well and the part of the car's body above it is the wheel arch.
More idioms containing
wheel
break a butterfly on a wheel
put your shoulder to the wheel
put a spoke in someone's wheel
a big wheel
a fifth wheel
reinvent the wheel
Examples of 'wheel' in a sentence
wheel
Then put the wheel back in the bike frame.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This distributes torque to all four wheels, ensuring maximum grip and impressive cornering abilities.
The Sun (2016)
It's a bit like putting rolling pins underneath your bike wheels.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Classic cars regularly race ahead when it comes to luxury investments, but they could soon be overtaken by vehicles on two wheels.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The skull rests on a butterfly, and fortune 's wheel.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Your money is in the centre of the table, but you haven't yet spun the roulette wheel.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The wheels move slowly on such big schemes.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The van must have gone over him with the back wheels.
The Sun (2011)
The only man to win world championships on two and four wheels.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
And here imagination turns out to be the driving wheel of that system as well.
Arthur Herman THE SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT: The Scots' Invention of the Modern World (2002)
The wheels turn slowly in the brewing industry when it comes to mergers and acquisitions.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He was in a car with his mother at the wheel when another vehicle drove into them.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
This is because applying the brake can lock the wheels and cause a skid.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Smoking oiled the wheels of team life.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He still wheels and deals around the globe.
Kiam, Victor Going For It!: How to Succeed As an Entrepreneur (1986)
What the hell is this big wheel doing in the sky?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
One woman was wheeling along an invalid husband.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
And all you have to do is change a wheel once a fortnight.
The Sun (2011)
You hang on the wheel of fortune.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They could just spin the roulette wheel and put the money on red.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Where business people are seriously restricted from working is when sitting behind the wheels of their cars.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The wheel turned full circle and they went back to us old guys.
The Sun (2010)
This second door could be opened by a man within the box by means of another wheel.
Baxter, Stephen Anti-Ice (1993)
This means your arm stays still while your hand is supported by the large sculpted casing that houses the scroll wheel and buttons.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The front wheel touches the ground and we're home.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
A huge billboard of her is being wheeled into place.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It is a 5in disc on wheels and acts as a chassis upon which extra features can be added.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Spotting chamber pots, old mattresses and bicycle wheels was part of the fun of going to borrow books.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Word lists with
wheel
parts of a bicycle, Instruments of torture
In other languages
wheel
British English: wheel /wiːl/ NOUN
A wheel is a circular object which turns round on a rod attached to its centre. Wheels are fixed underneath vehicles so that they can move along.
The car wheels spun and slipped on some oil.
American English: wheel
Arabic: عَجَلَة
Brazilian Portuguese: roda
Chinese: 轮子
Croatian: kotač
Czech: kolo vozu
Danish: hjul
Dutch: wiel
European Spanish: rueda
Finnish: pyörä
French: roue
German: Rad
Greek: τροχός
Italian: ruota
Japanese: 車輪
Korean: 바퀴
Norwegian: hjul
Polish: koło
European Portuguese: roda
Romanian: roată
Russian: колесо
Latin American Spanish: rueda
Swedish: hjul
Thai: พวงมาลัย
Turkish: tekerlek
Ukrainian: колесо
Vietnamese: bánh xe
British English: wheel VERB
If you wheel an object that has wheels somewhere, you push it along.
He wheeled his bike into the alley at the side of the house.
American English: wheel
Brazilian Portuguese: empurrar
Chinese: 推带轮子的物体
European Spanish: empujar
French: pousser
German: schieben
Italian: spingere
Japanese: 押す
Korean: 바퀴 달린 것을 움직이다
European Portuguese: empurrar
Latin American Spanish: empujar
All related terms of 'wheel'
big wheel
A big wheel is a very large upright wheel with carriages around the edge of it which people can ride in. Big wheels are often found at theme parks or fun fairs .
bob-wheel
a metrical device found in Middle English and Middle Scots poetry , where a very short line (the ' bob ') is followed by longer lines with an internal rhyme scheme (the ' wheel ')
mag wheel
a shiny , lightweight motor vehicle wheel having an attractive , symmetrical pattern of holes or spokes around the hub
the wheel
a medieval torture consisting of a wheel to which the victim was tied and then had his limbs struck and broken by an iron bar
wheel bug
a large predatory North American heteropterous insect, Arilus cristatus, having a semicircular thoracic projection : family Reduviidae ( assassin bugs )
wheel nut
A wheel nut is a nut which attaches the wheel of a vehicle to its hub .
bevel wheel
a toothed wheel , set at an oblique angle to the axis
buff wheel
a wheel covered with a soft material, such as lamb's wool or leather , used for shining and polishing
crown wheel
the wheel next to the winding knob that has one set of teeth at right angles to the other
daisy wheel
a component of a computer printer in the shape of a wheel with many spokes that prints characters using a disk with characters around the circumference as the print element
disc wheel
a road wheel of a motor vehicle that has a round pressed disc in place of spokes
disk wheel
a wheel made solid from rim to hub instead of having spokes
emery wheel
a grinding or polishing wheel consisting of, or the surface of which is coated with, abrasive emery particles
fifth wheel
a spare wheel for a four-wheeled vehicle
four-wheel
having or running on four wheels
great wheel
the wheel immediately driven by the power source
idle wheel
a gearwheel interposed between two others to transmit torque without changing the direction of rotation to the velocity ratio
mill wheel
the wheel, usually a water wheel, that drives the machinery in a mill
nose wheel
a wheel fitted to the forward end of a vehicle, esp the landing wheel under the nose of an aircraft
rear wheel
any wheel at the back of a motor vehicle
scape wheel
escape wheel ( see → escapement (sense 2 )
side-wheel
designating a steamboat having a paddle wheel on each side
spare wheel
A spare wheel is a wheel with a tyre on it that you keep in your car in case you get a flat tyre and need to replace one of your wheels.
water wheel
A water wheel is a large wheel which is turned by water flowing through it. Water wheels are used to provide power to drive machinery .
wheel arch
The wheel arch is the semicircular part positioned above the wheel of a vehicle .
wheel brace
a tool used to loosen or tighten the nuts holding a vehicle's wheel in place
wheel clamp
A wheel clamp is a large metal device which is fitted to the wheel of an illegally parked car or other vehicle in order to prevent it from being driven away . The motorist has to pay to have the clamp removed.
wheel cover
a fancy cover for the wheels of motor vehicles: larger than a hubcap
wheel gauge
the distance between two wheels on the same axle of a vehicle
wheel horse
the horse, or one of the horses, harnessed nearest the front wheels of a vehicle
wheel lock
a gunlock formerly in use in which the firing mechanism was activated by sparks produced by friction between a small steel wheel and a flint
wheel trim
metallic decorative trim over or around the wheels of a motor vehicle
wheel well
A wheel well is the space in a vehicle's structure where the wheel is positioned.
wire wheel
a wheel in which the rim is held to the hub by wire spokes , esp one used on a sports car
worm wheel
→ worm gear (sense 1 )
balance wheel
a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece , thereby regulating its beat
buffing wheel
a wheel covered with a soft material, such as lamb's wool or leather , used for shining and polishing
driving wheel
a wheel , esp a gear wheel, that causes other wheels to rotate
escape wheel
a toothed wheel that engages intermittently with a balance wheel or pendulum , causing the mechanism to oscillate and thereby moving the hands of a clock or watch
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a very large upright wheel with carriages around the edge of it which people can ride in. Ferris wheels are often found at theme parks or funfairs.
paddle wheel
a large wheel fitted with paddles , turned by an engine to propel a vessel on the water
Pelton wheel
a type of impulse turbine in which specially shaped buckets mounted on the perimeter of a wheel are struck by a fast-flowing water jet
pinion wheel
a cogwheel that engages with a larger wheel or rack , which it drives or by which it is driven
planet wheel
any one of the wheels of an epicyclic gear train that orbits the central axis of the train
prayer wheel
(esp in Tibet ) a wheel or cylinder inscribed with or containing prayers , each revolution of which is counted as an uttered prayer, so that such prayers can be repeated by turning it
ratchet wheel
a toothed wheel inside a ratchet
stitch wheel
a notched wheel used by a harness maker to mark out the spacing for stitching
Wheel Blacks
→ the Wheel Blacks
wheel window
a circular window, esp one that has ornamental tracery radiating from the centre to form a symmetrical roselike pattern
wheel wobble
an oscillation of the front wheels of a vehicle caused by a defect in the steering gear , unbalanced wheels, etc