cartwheel

1 of 2

noun

cart·​wheel ˈkärt-ˌ(h)wēl 

1

: a large coin (such as a silver dollar)

2

: a lateral handspring with arms and legs extended

cartwheel

2 of 2

verb

cartwheeled; cartwheeling; cartwheels

intransitive verb

: to move like a turning wheel

specifically : to perform cartwheels

cartwheeler noun

Examples of cartwheel in a Sentence

Noun

The children turned cartwheels and somersaults on the grass.

Verb

She cartwheeled across the floor.

The car hit the pole and then cartwheeled across the road.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

What began as a lighthearted moment among friends turned into a months-long ordeal for Deborah Cobb of Seattle, when cartwheels on the beach left her unable to see. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 July 2025

The robot now demonstrates an impressive range of movements that would make even the most seasoned breakdancers envious, such as crawling on all fours with surprising agility, executing forward rolls and cartwheels and performing handstands. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2025

Verb

His battle-scarred plug hit the quiet water, rested a moment, then quivered about a dozen times when suddenly a bass exploded from the water and cartwheeled over the surf ace. —Don Shiner, Outdoor Life, 14 May 2025

The red, white and blue bunting decorating ballparks, the echoing crack of a bat, bags of peanuts cartwheeling from vendor’s hands, pastoral fields of emerald green. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1917, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cartwheel

• cartwheel flower

Rhymes for cartwheel

• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal
• cornmeal
• flywheel
• foveal
• genteel

Kids Definition

cartwheel

noun

cart·​wheel

ˈkärt-ˌhwēl,

-ˌwēl

1

: a large coin (as a silver dollar)

2

: a sideways handspring with arms and legs extended