a circular frame or disk arranged to revolve on an axis, as on or in vehicles or machinery.
any machine, apparatus, instrument, etc., shaped like this or having a circular frame, disk, or revolving drum as an essential feature:a potter's wheel;roulette wheel;spinning wheel.
AutomotiveSee steering wheel.
[Naut.]
Nauticala circular frame with an axle connecting to the rudder of a ship, for steering:He took the wheel during the storm.
Nauticala paddle wheel.
Nauticala propeller.
Informal Termsa bicycle.
a round object, decoration, etc.:a wheel of cheese; a design of red wheels and blue squares.
an old instrument of torture in the form of a circular frame on which the victim was stretched until disjointed.
a circular firework that revolves rapidly while burning; pinwheel.
a rotating instrument that Fortune is represented as turning in order to bring about changes or reverses in human affairs.
wheels:
moving, propelling, or animating agencies:the wheels of commerce; the wheels of thought.
Slang Termsa personal means of transportation, esp. a car.
a cycle, recurring action, or steady progression:the wheel of days and nights.
a wheeling or circular movement:the intricate wheels of the folk dances.
(formerly) a movement of troops, ships, etc., drawn up in line, as if turning on a pivot.
Informal Termssomeone active and influential, as in business, politics, etc.; an important person:a big wheel.
at the wheel:
at the helm of a ship, the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, etc.
in command or control:Her ambition is to be at the wheel of a large corporation by the age of 40.
hell on wheels. See hell (def. 16).
Informal Termsspin one's wheels, to expend or waste effort to no avail:He spun his wheels on that project for two years.
wheels within wheels, an involved interaction of motives or agencies operating to produce the final result:Government agencies are a study of wheels within wheels.
v.t.
to cause to turn, rotate, or revolve, as on an axis.
to perform (a movement) in a circular or curving direction.
to move, roll, or convey on wheels, casters, etc.:The servants wheel the tables out.
Automotiveto provide (a vehicle, machine, etc.) with wheels.
v.i.
to turn on or as on an axis or about a center; revolve, rotate, or pivot.
to move in a circular or curving course:pigeons wheeling above.
to turn so as to face in a different direction (often fol. by about or around):He wheeled about and faced his opponent squarely.
to change one's opinion or procedure (often fol. by about or around):He wheeled around and argued for the opposition.
to roll along on or as on wheels; travel along smoothly:The car wheeled along the highway.
British Terms, Militaryto turn:Right wheel!
Informal Termswheel and deal, to operate dynamically for one's own profit or benefit.
bef. 900; (noun, nominal) Middle English whel(e), Old English hwēol, hweohl; cognate with Dutch wiel, Old Norse hjōl; akin to Greek kýklos (see cycle); (verb, verbal) Middle English, derivative of the noun, nominal
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
anything like a wheel in shape or function
a device consisting of or resembling a wheel or having a wheel as its principal component: a steering wheel, a water wheel
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