Adjacent Words

Wheel definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WHEEL, n.
1. A circular frame of wood, iron or other metal, consisting of a nave or hub, into which are inserted spokes which sustain a rim or felly; the whole turning on an axis. The name is also given to a solid circular or round piece of wood or metal, which revolves on an axis. The wheel and axle constitute one of the mechanical powers.
2. A circular body.
3. A carriage that moves on wheels.
4. An instrument for torturing criminals; as an examination made by the rack and the wheel.
5. A machine for spinning thread, of various kinds.
6. Rotation; revolution; turn; as the vicissitude and wheel of things.
7. A turning about; a compass.
He throws his flight in many an airy wheel.
8. In pottery, a round board turned by a lathe in a horizontal position, on which the clay is shaped by the hand.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
2: a handwheel that is used for steering [syn: steering wheel, wheel]
3: forces that provide energy and direction; "the wheels of government began to turn"
4: a circular helm to control the rudder of a vessel
5: 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 [syn: roulette wheel, wheel]
6: an instrument of torture that stretches or disjoints or mutilates victims [syn: rack, wheel]
7: a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels and is moved by foot pedals [syn: bicycle, bike, wheel, cycle] v
1: change directions as if revolving on a pivot; "They wheeled their horses around and left" [syn: wheel, wheel around]
2: wheel somebody or something [syn: wheel, wheel around]
3: move along on or as if on wheels or a wheeled vehicle; "The President's convoy rolled past the crowds" [syn: wheel, roll]
4: ride a bicycle [syn: bicycle, cycle, bike, pedal, wheel]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hweogol, hw?ol; akin to Old Norse hv?l wheel, Greek kyklos circle, wheel, Sanskrit cakra, Latin colere to cultivate, inhabit, Sanskrit carati he moves, wanders Date: before 12th century 1. a circular frame of hard material that may be solid, partly solid, or spoked and that is capable of turning on an axle 2. a contrivance or apparatus having as its principal part a wheel: as a. a chiefly medieval instrument of torture designed for mutilating a victim (as by stretching or disjointing) b. bicycle c. any of many revolving disks or drums used as gambling paraphernalia d. potter's wheel e. steering wheel 3. a. an imaginary turning wheel symbolizing the inconstancy of fortune b. a recurring course, development, or action ; cycle 4. something (as a round flat cheese) resembling a wheel in shape 5. a. a curving or circular movement b. a rotation or turn usually about an axis or center; specifically a turning movement of troops or ships in line in which the units preserve alignment and relative positions as they change direction 6. a. a moving or essential part of something compared to a machine <the wheels of government> b. a directing or controlling force c. a person of importance especially in an organization <a big wheel> 7. the refrain or burden of a song 8. a. a circuit of theaters or places of entertainment b. a sports league 9. plural, slang a wheeled vehicle; especially automobile 10. plural, slang legs • wheelless adjective II. verb Date: 13th century intransitive verb 1. to turn on or as if on an axis ; revolve 2. to change direction as if revolving on a pivot <the battalion would have wheeled to the flank — Walter Bernstein> <her mind will wheel around to the other extreme — Liam O'Flaherty> <wheeled to face her opponent> 3. to move or extend in a circle or curve <birds in wheeling flight> <valleys where young cotton wheeled slowly in fanlike rows — William Faulkner> 4. to travel on or as if on wheels or in a wheeled vehicle transitive verb 1. to cause to turn on or as if on an axis ; rotate 2. to convey or move on or as if on wheels or in a wheeled vehicle <wheeled the patient back to his room> <wheeled the car into the driveway> <wheel in the experts> 3. to cause to change direction as if revolving on a pivot 4. to make or perform in a circle or curve

Oxford Reference Dictionary

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

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wheel Wheel, 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.] 1. A circular frame turning about an axis; a rotating disk, whether solid, or a frame composed of an outer rim, spokes or radii, and a central hub or nave, in which is inserted the axle, -- used for supporting and conveying vehicles, in machinery, and for various purposes; as, the wheel of a wagon, of a locomotive, of a mill, of a watch, etc. The gasping charioteer beneath the wheel Of his own car. --Dryden. 2. Any instrument having the form of, or chiefly consisting of, a wheel. Specifically: (a) A spinning wheel. See under Spinning. (b) An instrument of torture formerly used. His examination is like that which is made by the rack and wheel. --Addison. Note: This mode of torture is said to have been first employed in Germany, in the fourteenth century. The criminal was laid on a cart wheel with his legs and arms extended, and his limbs in that posture were fractured with an iron bar. In France, where its use was restricted to the most atrocious crimes, the criminal was first laid on a frame of wood in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, with grooves cut transversely in it above and below the knees and elbows, and the executioner struck eight blows with an iron bar, so as to break the limbs in those places, sometimes finishing by two or three blows on the chest or stomach, which usually put an end to the life of the criminal, and were hence called coups-de-grace -- blows of mercy. The criminal was then unbound, and laid on a small wheel, with his face upward, and his arms and legs doubled under him, there to expire, if he had survived the previous treatment. --Brande. (c) (Naut.) A circular frame having handles on the periphery, and an axle which is so connected with the tiller as to form a means of controlling the rudder for the purpose of steering. (d) (Pottery) A potter's wheel. See under Potter. Then I went down to the potter's house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. --Jer. xviii. 3. Turn, turn, my wheel! This earthen jar A touch can make, a touch can mar. --Longfellow. (e) (Pyrotechny) A firework which, while burning, is caused to revolve on an axis by the reaction of the escaping gases. (f) (Poetry) The burden or refrain of a song. Note: ``This meaning has a low degree of authority, but is supposed from the context in the few cases where the word is found.'' --Nares. You must sing a-down a-down, An you call him a-down-a. O, how the wheel becomes it! --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wheel Wheel, v. i. 1. To turn on an axis, or as on an axis; to revolve; to more about; to rotate; to gyrate. The moon carried about the earth always shows the same face to us, not once wheeling upon her own center. --Bentley. 2. To change direction, as if revolving upon an axis or pivot; to turn; as, the troops wheeled to the right. Being able to advance no further, they are in a fair way to wheel about to the other extreme. --South. 3. To go round in a circuit; to fetch a compass. Then wheeling down the steep of heaven he flies. --Pope. 4. To roll forward. Thunder mixed with hail, Hail mixed with fire, must rend the Egyptian sky, And wheel on the earth, devouring where it rolls. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wheel Wheel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheeled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheeling.] 1. To convey on wheels, or in a wheeled vehicle; as, to wheel a load of hay or wood. 2. To put into a rotatory motion; to cause to turn or revolve; to cause to gyrate; to make or perform in a circle. ``The beetle wheels her droning flight.'' --Gray. Now heaven, in all her glory, shone, and rolled Her motions, as the great first mover's hand First wheeled their course. --Milton.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wheels, wheeling, wheeled) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. 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. N-COUNT • Something on wheels has wheels attached to the bottom, so that it can be moved easily. ...a trolley on wheels... The stove is on wheels so it can be shuffled around easily. PHRASE: n PHR, v-link PHR 2. 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. N-COUNT 3. 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. = steering wheel N-COUNT: usu sing, the N 4. 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... They wheeled her out on the stretcher. VERB: V n prep/adv, V n prep/adv 5. If something such as a group of animals or birds wheels, it moves in a circle. (LITERARY) A flock of crows wheeled overhead. VERB: V 6. 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: V adv 7. 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. to oil the wheels: see oil N-PLURAL: the N of n 8. see also Catherine wheel, meals on wheels, potter's wheel, spare wheel, spinning wheel, steering wheel, water wheel

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(Heb. galgal; rendered "wheel" in Ps. 83:13, and "a rolling thing" in Isa. 17:13; R.V. in both, "whirling dust"). This word has been supposed to mean the wild artichoke, which assumes the form of a globe, and in autumn breaks away from its roots, and is rolled about by the wind in some places in great numbers.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hwel:

(1) 'ophan, is the usual word (Ex 14:25, etc.). In Pr 20:26; Isa 28:27 the rollers of a threshing wagon are meant (see AGRICULTURE).

(2) galgal, "rolling thing," generally in the sense of "wheel" (Isa 5:28, etc.), but the Revised Version (British and American) in Eze 10:2,6,13 has "whirling wheels," an advantageous change. The "wheel .... broken at the cistern" in Ec 12:6 is the windlass for drawing the water, and by the figure the breakdown of the old man's breathing apparatus is probably meant. In Ps 83:13, the King James Version has "wheel," but this translation (that of the Septuagint) is quite impossible; the Revised Version (British and American) "whirling dust" (sucked up by a miniature whirlwind) is perhaps right, but the translations proposed are end-less.

(3) gilgal, Isa 28:28, the roller of a threshing wagon.

(4) 'obhnayim, Jer 18:3. See POTTER.

(5) pa`am, Jud 5:28, literally, "step" (so the Revised Version margin), and the sound of horses' hoofs is intended.

(6) trochos, Sirach 33:5; Jas 3:6 (the King James Version "course"). In the former passage, "The heart of a fool is as a cart-wheel," the changeableness of a light disposition is satirized. In James the figure is of a wheel in rotation, so that a flame starting at any point is quickly communicated to the whole. Just so an apparently insignificant sin of the tongue produces an incalculably destructive effect.

The phrase "wheel of nature" (trochos tes geneseos) is used here for "the world in progress." It is not a very natural figure and has given rise to much discussion. the King James Version accents trochos ("course") instead of trochos (" wheel"). but the language throughout is metaphorical and "course" is not a sufficiently metaphorical word. The translation "birth" for geneseos (so the Revised Version margin). i.e. "a wheel set in motion by birth." is out of the question. as the argument turns on results wider than any individual's existence. "Wheel of nature" is certainly right. But a comparison of life to a wheel in some sense or other (chiefly that of "Fortune's wheel") is common enough in Greek and Latin writers, and, indeed the exact combination trochos geneseos is found in at least one (Orphic) writer (full references in the commentaries of Mayor and W. Bauer). It would seem, then, that James had heard the phrase, and he used it as a striking figure, with entire indifference to any technical significance it might have. This supposition is preferable to that of an awkward translation from the Aramaic.

See COURSE.

Burton Scott Easton

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Move on wheels, roll. 2. Revolve, rotate, turn, roll, turn on an axis. 3. Gyrate, turn round, move round. 4. Revolve, move round, move in a circle, turn. 5. Fetch a compass. 6. Deviate, deflect, diverge, turn aside, alter one's course. 7. Move forward, roll forward. II. v. a. 1. Whirl, twirl, spin, put into a rotatory motion. 2. Move on wheels, convey on wheels.

Moby Thesaurus

BMOC, Charybdis, Ferris wheel, O, Procrustean bed, airscrew, alternate, annular muscle, annulus, areola, arsis, association, aureole, auto, avert, balance wheel, be here again, beat, bed of Procrustes, bevel gear, bicycle, big cheese, big noise, big shot, big wheel, big-time operator, big-timer, bike, boot, bout, buffing wheel, bus, carousel, cartwheel, caster, catch a train, centrifugate, centrifuge, chaplet, charioteer, chauffeur, chopper, circle, circuit, circuiteer, circular saw, circulate, circulation, circumambulate, circumference, circummigrate, circumnavigate, circumrotate, circumvent, circumvolute, circumvolution, circus, close the circle, closed circle, cog, cogwheel, come about, come again, come and go, come around, come full circle, come round, come round again, come up again, compass, conference, contrate wheel, corona, coronet, course, crank, crown, crown wheel, cycle, cycloidal gear, deflect, describe a circle, diadem, diastole, discus, disk, divert, dizzy round, do a flip-flop, do an about-face, downbeat, drive, drive wheel, driver, eddy, encircle, encompass, entrain, escape wheel, eternal return, fairy ring, fan, fetch about, flank, flywheel, garland, gear, gearwheel, girdle, girdle the globe, glory, go about, go around, go by rail, go round, go the round, gurge, gyrate, gyration, gyre, gyrowheel, halo, have second thoughts, heel, helm, high-muck-a-muck, his nibs, idler wheel, impeller, intermit, iron, iron heel, joyride, kick wheel, lap, lasso, logical circle, loop, looplet, maelstrom, magic circle, make a circuit, make a train, merry-go-round, mill wheel, minibike, motocycle, motor, motorbike, motorcycle, noose, orbit, oscillate, paddle wheel, pedal, pedal wheel, pedicab, pig, pilot, pinion, pinwheel, pirouette, piston, pivot, pivot about, power wheel, prayer wheel, prop, propellant, propeller, propulsor, pulley, pulsate, pulse, put about, rack, radius, rat race, reappear, recur, reel, reins, reins of government, reoccur, repeat, return, revolution, revolve, ride, ring, road-bike, roll around, roller, rolling stone, rondelle, rotate, rotation, rotator, rotor, roulette wheel, round, roundabout, roundel, rudder, rundle, saucer, scarpines, screw, screw propeller, series, sheer, skirt, spell, sphincter, spin, spiral, stagger, steering wheel, surge, surround, swing, swing round, swirl, swivel, systole, take a joyride, taxi, tergiversate, thesis, thumbscrew, tiller, tool, top, totter, trail bike, tricycle, trike, truck, truckle, turbine, turn, turn a pirouette, turn about, turn around, turn round, turn tail, twin screws, twirl, twist, undulate, upbeat, veer, veer around, vicious circle, volte-face, vortex, wamble, water wheel, wheel about, wheel around, wheel of fortune, whip, whirl, whirlabout, whirler, whirligig, whirlpool, whirlwind, wind, wreath