waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel ˈwȯ-tər-ˌ(h)wēl How to pronounce waterwheel (audio)
ˈwä-
1
: a wheel made to rotate by direct action of water
2
: a wheel for raising water

Illustration of waterwheel

Illustration of waterwheel
  • waterwheel 1

Examples of waterwheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Imagineering then set out to re-create the original Swiss Family Treehouse waterwheel, calling upon the company’s archives division to dig up the historical structure. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Gone are the static animals of yore, replaced by a bevy of animatronic and mechanical critters, self-playing instruments and a dazzling, functional waterwheel, a throwback to the original Swiss Family Treehouse that opened at Disneyland in 1962. Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2023 If Microsoft Word was the waterwheel, in other words, maybe Monday.com can be the assembly line. Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2023 This water-energy-food nexus goes back centuries—maybe even to the first waterwheels around 100 BCE, which affected fishing downstream. Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 29 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for waterwheel 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'waterwheel.' 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

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of waterwheel was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near waterwheel

Cite this Entry

“Waterwheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waterwheel. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.

Kids Definition

waterwheel

noun
wa·​ter·​wheel -ˌhwēl How to pronounce waterwheel (audio)
-ˌwēl
: a wheel made to turn by a flow of water against it

More from Merriam-Webster on waterwheel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!