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

The Celtics have had many reasons to do cartwheels this season. —Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 23 Apr. 2025

The Rockies would turn cartwheels if the 26-year-old Jones can do that and earn the starting job in left field. —Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post, 1 Mar. 2025

Verb

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

And this is an apt name for this chapter as all the traumatized denizens of the bunkers suffer restrictions from barricades, both physical and emotional, as their unnatural subterranean life seems to be cartwheeling out of control since Juliette took a stroll outside. —Jeff Spry, Space.com, 23 Dec. 2024

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