wheel

wheel1 [ wil, hwil ] noun count ***

1. ) a round object that turns around and around to make a car, bicycle, or other vehicle move:

a bicycle/wagon/car wheel

front/rear wheels

on wheels: a TV table on wheels

a ) wheels plural VERY INFORMAL a car:

The girls go for the boy with the nicest-looking wheels.

2. ) a round part inside a machine that fits into another similar part and makes it turn: COG

a ) any machine or piece of equipment that is shaped like a wheel or has a wheel as its main part:

a spinning/potter's/roulette wheel

b ) the wheel the STEERING WHEEL that is used for controlling a car or other vehicle:

She had to turn the wheel sharply to avoid the dog.

take the wheel (=to drive): Would you like me to take the wheel for a while?

at/behind the wheel (=driving): It seems he had a heart attack at the wheel.

I can't wait to get behind the wheel again.

3. ) wheels plural processes or forces that cause things to happen or cause progress to be made:

the wheels of industry/justice/government: The wheels of government grind very slowly.

keep the wheels turning

to make something continue to happen or operate

set the wheels in motion or start the wheels turning

to do the thing that is necessary to make a process start

third/fifth wheel

someone in an organization or team who is not really needed

wheel of fortune

used for referring to the fact that situations can change very quickly from good to bad or from bad to good

=> BIG WHEEL, REINVENT, SHOULDER1

wheel

wheel 2 [ wil, hwil ] verb

1. ) transitive to move something that has wheels by pushing it:

A man was wheeling his shopping cart to the checkout counter.

I had to get off and wheel the bike along.

a ) to move someone in something that has wheels:

They wheeled him into the operating room.

She quickly wheeled the baby across the street.

2. ) intransitive or transitive to make circular movements in the air:

The birds wheeled overhead and flew off.

wheel and deal INFORMAL

to use clever or slightly dishonest methods to get advantages from a lot of situations, especially in business or politics

,wheel a`round phrasal verb intransitive

to turn around quickly where you are standing:

She wheeled around and glared at me.