axle

ax·le | \ ˈak-səl

How to pronounce axle (audio)

\

Definition of axle

1a : a pin or shaft on or with which a wheel or pair of wheels revolves

b(1) : a fixed bar or beam with bearings at its ends on which wheels (as of a cart) revolve

(2) : the spindle of such a beam

2 archaic : axis

Examples of axle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Rees got another rope and reached into the water to tie it onto the Jeep’s axle. — Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage Jeep driver’s first glacier close-up goes awry," 31 Jan. 2020 In Michigan, a legal truck can weigh up to 164,000 pounds, 82 tons, if the weight is distributed correctly among 11 axles. — Freep.com, "Wayne County has struggled to inspect its bridges, state also under scrutiny," 31 Jan. 2020 That means a full 1.75-inch diameter steel tube chassis with adjustable front double-wishbone suspension and rear trailing arm suspension for the solid axle. — Dan Carney, Popular Science, "You can now own a stock car that’s just like what Nascar pros race," 22 Jan. 2020 Some people arrived in campers, in it for the long haul; some came in minivans, entered the tasting room with handcarts, and left with an axle-straining number of cases of wine. — Amiel Stanek, Bon Appétit, "My Totally Racous, Très French, Super Wine-Soaked Weekend in the Loire," 13 Dec. 2019 The US Labor Department estimates that there were about 150,000 US jobs just building engines, transmissions and axles at US factories last year. — Chris Isidore, CNN, "Electric vehicles pose a major threat to autoworkers' jobs," 4 Dec. 2019 The axle is the rod that goes through the middle of a gear. — Scientific American, "Gear Up Your Candy," 21 Nov. 2019 The wheelbase grew by 8.5 inches (216mm), and the dash-to-axle ratio was lengthened. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "Watch out, Tesla—Ford gets serious with Mustang Mach-E electric crossover," 18 Nov. 2019 Truckers riding on five axles without an ExpressToll sticker pay $90.20 to travel the full length of the highway. — John Aguilar, The Denver Post, "A foreign company wants to operate E-470 — and collect billions in tolls from drivers," 4 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'axle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about axle

Dictionary Entries near axle

axis of rotation

Statistics for axle

Last Updated

12 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Axle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/axle. Accessed 16 Feb. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

stipulate

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

More Confusing Words—Quiz

The magician ______ moved the selected card to the top of the deck.

discreetly discretely

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.