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

An 8-year-old turned a hospital hallway into his personal runway, dancing and even doing a cartwheel down a corridor before ringing a bell to celebrate beating leukemia. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

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

Verb

The launch attempt from a site in Norway follows the initial flight of the Spectrum rocket about a year ago, during which the rocket cartwheeled upside-down and fell a short distance from its Arctic launch pad. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 10 Apr. 2026

Last spring a hunting partner of mine cartwheeled a big tom at 40 yards with a heavy load of No. 4’s from a 12-gauge three-inch Magnum shell. —Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026

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