wheel
noun /wiːl/
/wiːl/
Idioms - [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.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by car or lorrya2- 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
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bicycle
- car
- etc.
- …
- change
- replace
- go around
- go round
- spin
- …
- arch
- base
- bearings
- …
- on wheels
- under the wheels
- [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.
Extra ExamplesTopics Transport by waterb1- 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.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + wheel- grip
- hold
- turn
- …
- lock
- at the wheel
- behind the wheel
- keep your hands on the steering wheel
- put your hands on the steering wheel
- take your hands off the steering wheel
- …
- wheels[plural] (informal) a car
- At last he had his own wheels.
- [countable] a flat, round part in a machine
- gear wheels
- 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).
- (in adjectives) having the number or type of wheels mentioned
- a sixteen-wheeled lorry
- (in nouns) a car, bicycle, etc. with the number of wheels mentioned
- a three-wheeler
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bicycle
- car
- etc.
- …
- change
- replace
- go around
- go round
- spin
- …
- arch
- base
- bearings
- …
- on wheels
- under the wheels
on/in vehicles
in machine
organization/system
-wheeled
-wheeler
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)
- 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
- (informal) a person who is a small part of a large organization
oil the wheels (British English)
(North American English grease the wheels)
- to help something to happen easily and without problems, especially in business or politics
put your shoulder to the wheel
- 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
- (British English) to prevent somebody from putting their plans into operation
reinvent the wheel
- to waste time creating something that already exists and works well
- There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel.
wheels within wheels
- 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.