Wheels I Car Wiːl Asleep Braked Front Bus

• 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.

wheel

1. one of the round objects under a car, bicycle, bus, etc. that turns when it moves
• SEE ALSO paddle wheel
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/paddle-wheel
• 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
• One of the boys was pushing the other along in a little box on wheels.

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
2. the round object used for controlling the direction in which a car, etc. or ship moves
• SEE ALSO helm
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/helm_1
• Always keep both hands on 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.
• 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 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.
3. a car
• At last he had his own wheels.
4. a flat, round part in a machine
• SEE ALSO cartwheel
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/cartwheel_2
• gear wheels
5. 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. having the number or type of wheels mentioned
• a sixteen-wheeled lorry
7. a car, bicycle, etc. with the number of wheels mentioned
• a three-wheeler
8. 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.
9. a person who is a small part of a large organization
10. to help something to happen easily and without problems, especially in business or politics
11. to start working very hard at a particular task
• Everyone is going to have to put their shoulder to the wheel.
12. to prevent somebody from putting their plans into operation
13. to waste time creating something that already exists and works well
• There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel.
14. 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.

Word Origin

• Old English hwēol (noun), of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit cakra ‘wheel, circle’ and Greek kuklos ‘circle’.