pulley

noun

pul·​ley ˈpu̇-lē 

plural pulleys

1

: a sheave or small wheel with a grooved rim and with or without the block in which it runs used singly with a rope or chain to change the direction and point of application of a pulling force and in various combinations to increase the applied force especially for lifting weights

2

: a pulley or pulleys with ropes to form a tackle that constitutes one of the simple machines

3

: a wheel used to transmit power by means of a band, belt, cord, rope, or chain passing over its rim

Illustration of pulley

• pulley 2

Examples of pulley in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That team was an elegant invention being displayed at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, with gears and pulleys that hinted at a new era. —Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025

The men’s and women’s capsule features iconic motifs such as ropes, pulleys and signal flags, which are woven into the collection. —Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019

The levers and pulleys of Jacobs-Jenkins’s whole construct are too often visible. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Mar. 2025

Position yourself with your weak side perpendicular to the cable pulley, about an arm’s length away. —Mark Jannot, Outside Online, 24 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English poley, pully, from Anglo-French pulie, probably ultimately from Greek polos axis, pole — more at pole

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pulley

• idler pulley

Rhymes for pulley

• bully
• fully
• woolly
• wooly

Kids Definition

pulley

noun

pul·​ley ˈpu̇l-ē 

plural pulleys

: a small wheel with a grooved rim used with a rope or chain to change the direction of a pulling force and in combination to increase the force applied for lifting

Medical Definition

pulley

noun

pul·​ley ˈpu̇l-ē 

: trochlea