wheel
noun · verb
Simple meaning
a round object that turns on an axle to help things move
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
weelIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈwil
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.
nautical
A circular helm to control the rudder of a vessel
nautical
The instrument attached to the rudder by which a vessel is steered.
An instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims
Game equipment consisting of a wheel with slots that is used for gambling; the wheel rotates horizontally and players bet on which slot the roulette ball will stop in
A turn or revolution; rotation; compass.
verb
transitive
To transport something or someone using any wheeled mechanism, such as a wheelchair.
intransitive
To change direction quickly, turn, pivot, whirl, wheel around.
Change directions as if revolving on a pivot
“They wheeled their horses around and left.”
intransitive
To travel around in large circles, particularly in the air.
transitive
To put into a rotatory motion; to cause to turn or revolve; to make or perform in a circle.
Move along on or as if on wheels or a wheeled vehicle
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A circular device capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation or performing labour in machines.
Used this way, wheel is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use wheel
- “They wheeled their horses around and left.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Eastern Australian tree widely cultivated as a shade tree and for its glossy leaves and circular clusters of showy red to orange-scarlet flowers.
A stringed instrument that produces sounds by means of a wheel that rubs against the strings.
A circular slide chart having rotating parts.
Large predatory North American bug that sucks the blood of other insects.
A draft horse harnessed behind others and nearest the wheels of a vehicle.
Wheel somebody or something.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A movable chair mounted on large wheels.
The distance from the center of a car's front wheel to the rear axle.
A printer that uses a daisy print wheel.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.