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Definition of wheel noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

wheel

noun
 
 
/wiːl/
 
/wiːl/
Idioms
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    on/in vehicles

  1.  
     [countable] one of the round objects under a car, bicycle, bus, etc. that turns when it moves
    • He braked suddenly, causing the front wheels to skid.
    • the rear wheels of the car
    • She was killed when she was crushed under the wheels of a bus.
    • I had lightweight wheels on my bike.
    • tractors with powered front wheels
    • on wheels One of the boys was pushing the other along in a little box on wheels.
    see also paddle wheel
    Extra Examples
    • A tyre blew and we had to change the wheel.
    • She braked too hard and the wheels locked.
    • She fell under the wheels of a bus.
    • The wheels were still going around.
    • the sound of wheels crunching over snow
    Topics Transport by car or lorrya2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bicycle
    • car
    • etc.
    • …
    wheel + verb
    • change
    • replace
    wheel + verb
    • go around
    • go round
    • spin
    • …
    wheel + noun
    • arch
    • base
    • bearings
    • …
    preposition
    • on wheels
    • under the wheels
    See full entry
  2.  
     [countable, usually singular] the round object used for controlling the direction in which a car, etc. or ship moves
    • Always keep both hands on the wheel.
    • behind the wheel Never get behind the wheel if you're too tired.
    • This is the first time I've sat behind the wheel since the accident.
    • at the wheel A car swept past with Laura at the wheel.
    • Do you want to take the wheel (= drive) now?
    • She fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree.
    see also helm, steering wheel
    Extra Examples
    • I drove the first 200 miles and then Steve took the wheel.
    • I saw the car drive past, but didn't recognize the woman behind the wheel.
    • I spend a lot of time behind the wheel.
    • The bus set off again with a fresh driver at the wheel.
    Topics Transport by waterb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + wheel
    • grip
    • hold
    • turn
    • …
    wheel + noun
    • lock
    preposition
    • at the wheel
    • behind the wheel
    phrases
    • keep your hands on the steering wheel
    • put your hands on the steering wheel
    • take your hands off the steering wheel
    • …
    See full entry
  3. wheels
     [plural] (informal) a car
    • At last he had his own wheels.
    4.

    in machine

  4. [countable] a flat, round part in a machine
    • gear wheels
    see also cartwheel, Catherine wheel, Ferris wheel, mill wheel, spinning wheel, waterwheel

    5. organization/system

  5. wheels
     [plural] wheel (of something) an organization or a system that seems to work like a complicated machine that is difficult to understand
    • the wheels of bureaucracy/commerce/government
    • It was Rob's idea. I merely set the wheels in motion (= started the process).
    6.

    -wheeled

  6. (in adjectives) having the number or type of wheels mentioned
    • a sixteen-wheeled lorry
    7.

    -wheeler

  7. (in nouns) a car, bicycle, etc. with the number of wheels mentioned
    • a three-wheeler
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • bicycle
    • car
    • etc.
    • …
    wheel + verb
    • change
    • replace
    wheel + verb
    • go around
    • go round
    • spin
    • …
    wheel + noun
    • arch
    • base
    • bearings
    • …
    preposition
    • on wheels
    • under the wheels
    See full entry
    8. Word OriginOld English hwēol (noun), of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit cakra ‘wheel, circle’ and Greek kuklos ‘circle’.
Idioms
asleep at the wheel | asleep on the job
(North American English also asleep at the switch)
  1. not paying enough attention to what you need to do
    • Let's hope the regulators are not asleep at the wheel.
    • They were asleep on the job as the financial crisis deepened.
    • Someone must have been asleep at the switch to alow this to happen.
a cog in the machine/wheel
  1. (informal) a person who is a small part of a large organization
oil the wheels (British English)
(North American English grease the wheels)
  1. to help something to happen easily and without problems, especially in business or politics
put your shoulder to the wheel
  1. to start working very hard at a particular task
    • Everyone is going to have to put their shoulder to the wheel.
put a spoke in somebody’s wheel
  1. (British English) to prevent somebody from putting their plans into operation
reinvent the wheel
  1. to waste time creating something that already exists and works well
    • There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel.
wheels within wheels
  1. a situation that is difficult to understand because it involves complicated or secret processes and decisions
    • There are wheels within wheels in this organization—you never really know what is going on.
See wheel in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee wheel in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: wheel

Nearby words

sufficiently
adverb
 
 
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