wheel and axle

noun

: a mechanical device consisting of a grooved wheel turned by a cord or chain with a rigidly attached axle (as for winding up a weight) together with the supporting standards

Examples of wheel and axle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Image There is the electric motor repair shop, the pneumatic shop for brakes and air-conditioning, the car repair shop and the wheel and axle shop. David Waldstein, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Archaeologists know that wheel and axle technology was invented about 6,000 years ago, which suggests that Proto-Indo-European can’t be any older than that. Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 But simple machines--defined by Renaissance natural philosophers as the lever, the wheel and axle, the wedge, the screw, the inclined plane, and the pulley--are hidden beneath the skins and exoskeletons of many a creature. Discover Magazine, 4 Aug. 2011 University of Southern California biomechanist Michael Habib, who was not involved in the study, says springs and levers enable more rapid acceleration than wheels and axles do. Jason G. Goldman, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2019 So the Mariners in 2013 began replacing the wheels and axles with more robust models — designating millions of dollars as unanticipated costs eligible to be paid for with admissions taxes by the Public Facilities District that oversees Safeco Field. Daniel Beekman, The Seattle Times, 28 Aug. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wheel and axle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1759, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wheel and axle was in 1759

Dictionary Entries Near wheel and axle

Cite this Entry

“Wheel and axle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheel%20and%20axle. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wheel and axle

noun
: a simple machine consisting of a grooved wheel turned by a cord or chain with a firmly attached axle (as for winding up a weight) together with supports

More from Merriam-Webster on wheel and axle

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