wheel

wheel
n. & v.
—n.
1 a circular frame or disc arranged to revolve on an axle and used to facilitate the motion of a vehicle or for various mechanical purposes.
2 a wheel-like thing (Catherine wheel; potter's wheel; steering wheel).
3 motion as of a wheel, esp. the movement of a line of people with one end as a pivot.
4 a machine etc. of which a wheel is an essential part.
5 (in pl.) sl. a car.
6 US sl. = big wheel 2.
7 a set of short lines concluding a stanza.
—v.
1 intr. & tr. a turn on an axis or pivot. b swing round in line with one end as a pivot.
2 a intr. (often foll. by about, round) change direction or face another way. b tr. cause to do this.
3 tr. push or pull (a wheeled thing esp. a barrow, bicycle, or pram, or its load or occupant).
4 intr. go in circles or curves (seagulls wheeling overhead).
Phrases and idioms:
at the wheel
1 driving a vehicle.
2 directing a ship.
3 in control of affairs. on wheels (or oiled wheels) smoothly. wheel and deal engage in political or commercial scheming. wheel-back adj. (of a chair) with a back shaped like or containing the design of a wheel. wheel-house a steersman's shelter.
wheel-lock
1 an old kind of gunlock having a steel wheel to rub against flint etc.
2 a gun with this. wheel of Fortune luck. wheel-spin rotation of a vehicle's wheels without traction.
wheels within wheels
1 intricate machinery.
2 colloq. indirect or secret agencies.
Derivatives:
wheeled adj. (also in comb.). wheelless adj.
Etymology: OE hweol, hweogol f. Gmc

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Wheel — (hw[=e]l), n. [OE. wheel, hweol, AS. hwe[ o]l, hweogul, hweowol; akin to D. wiel, Icel. hv[=e]l, Gr. ky klos, Skr. cakra; cf. Icel. hj[=o]l, Dan. hiul, Sw. hjul. [root]218. Cf. {Cycle}, {Cyclopedia}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A circular frame turning… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wheel — [hwēl, wēl] n. [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] 1 …   English World dictionary

  • wheel — ► NOUN 1) a circular object that revolves on an axle, fixed below a vehicle to enable it to move along or forming part of a machine. 2) something resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its essential part. 3) (wheels) informal a car. 4) an… …   English terms dictionary

  • Wheel — Wheel, v. i. [1913 Webster] 1. To turn on an axis, or as on an axis; to revolve; to more about; to rotate; to gyrate. [1913 Webster] The moon carried about the earth always shows the same face to us, not once wheeling upon her own center. Bentley …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • wheel|er — «HWEE luhr», noun. 1. a person or thing that wheels. 2. a thing, such as a vehicle or a boat, that has a wheel or wheels: »a four wheeler, side wheeler. 3. = wheel horse. (Cf. ↑wheel horse) …   Useful english dictionary

  • wheel|ie — «HWEE lee», noun. a stunt of riding a motorcycle or bicycle on one wheel: »“Doing a wheelie”…means lifting the front wheel off the ground and balancing on the rear wheel alone (New York Times) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Wheel — Wheel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Wheeled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Wheeling}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To convey on wheels, or in a wheeled vehicle; as, to wheel a load of hay or wood. [1913 Webster] 2. To put into a rotatory motion; to cause to turn or revolve;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Wheel —   [englisch, wiːl; wörtlich »Rad«], auch Modulation Wheel oder Pitch Wheel, Steuerungsrad (Handrad) an Synthesizern (meist am linken Rand angebracht, Bedienung mit linkem Daumen) zur Modulation (z. B. Vibrato, Wah Wah) oder für Pitch Bending… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • wheel — [n] circle, revolution caster, circuit, circulation, circumvolution, cycle, disk, drum, gyration, gyre, hoop, pivot, pulley, ratchet, ring, roll, roller, rotation, round, spin, trolley, turn, twirl, whirl; concepts 436,464,502 wheel [v] turn,… …   New thesaurus

  • wheel — vb *turn, revolve, rotate, gyrate, circle, spin, twirl, whirl, swirl, pirouette, eddy …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • wheel — A circular device, thin in relation to its face area, usually able to rotate about a central axle or pivot, with a durable but elastic rim or with regular teeth cut on the rim and for lightness often supported by spokes joined to the hub instead… …   Dictionary of automotive terms

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