cartwheel

1 of 2

noun

cart·​wheel ˈkärt-ˌ(h)wēl How to pronounce cartwheel (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The queen—blond, leggy, wearing dark glasses and a red flapper dress—lounges on an armchair while ministers in suits delight their childish king by dancing with him, turning him and his big belly in cartwheels and the like. Jennifer Homans, New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2026 After decades of debate, discussion and disinformation, these Olympic Games are featuring cartwheels, handstands and — yes — the backflip in figure skating, reversing one of the sport’s most controversial rules. Robert Samuels, Washington Post, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
The Lincoln Park player has even promised to learn how to cartwheel by the first game. Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026 Not since perhaps Hermann Maier's cartwheeling crash at the 1998 Nagano Games had there been such a high-profile and spectacular fall in Alpine skiing at the Olympics. Andrew Dampf, Arkansas Online, 9 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cartwheel

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1855, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cartwheel was in 1855

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cartwheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cartwheel. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.

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

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