axle

noun

ax·le | \ ˈak-səl

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

That’s why so many of the fastest cars have the engine, the heaviest component, in the middle, between the front and rear axles. — Alexander George, Popular Mechanics, "Why Does Everyone Love the Porsche 911?," 21 Dec. 2018 The battery positioning follows standard BEV protocol and is located between the axles and underneath the passenger compartment. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "We’ve driven Audi’s first proper electric car, the 2019 e-tron SUV," 7 Dec. 2018 The reason for all that latter weight is that a 360-foot trailer, with 48 axles, was needed to spread out the weight of the transformer. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "Talk about a ‘superload’! Check out what’s crawling along Washington highways," 18 Sep. 2018 Ram's doesn't directly turn the wheels, nor are there additional components mounted to or near the wheels or axles. — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Ram 1500 eTorque: Why the Electrified Pickup Truck Is Even Better," 19 Sep. 2018 Five people were killed and more than 60 were injured when an axle broke on the Ride the Ducks vehicle, causing the amphibious, World War II-vehicle to cross the centerline and hit the bus on Sept. 24, 2015. — Christine Clarridge, The Seattle Times, "Jurors in Ride the Ducks trial leave courthouse to view vehicles damaged in deadly crash," 6 Nov. 2018 Our tester’s rear-axle steering system was a $1,620 option. — Dan Neil, WSJ, "2018 Porsche Panamera: Fast, Furious and, Yes, a Station Wagon," 19 Dec. 2018 Instead of an internal combustion engine, each axle sports its own asynchronous electric motor, each of which features a cooling lance running through it. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, "We’ve driven Audi’s first proper electric car, the 2019 e-tron SUV," 7 Dec. 2018 An electric motor at each axle provides the all-wheel-drive Cross Turismo with a combined 590 horsepower as well as torque-vectoring abilities. — Greg Fink, Car and Driver, "Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept: It's an Electric Porsche Wagon," 6 Mar. 2018

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.