freewheel

1 of 3

noun (1)

free·​wheel ˈfrē-ˈ(h)wēl 

: a clutch fitted in the rear hub of a bicycle that permits the rear wheel to run on free from the rear sprocket when the pedals are stopped

freewheel

2 of 3

verb

freewheeled; freewheeling; freewheels

intransitive verb

1

: to roll along freely independent of a gear

2

: to move, live, or play freely or irresponsibly

freewheeler noun

freewheeler

3 of 3

noun (2)

free·​wheel·​er

"+ə(r)

: one that freewheels

especially : a freewheeling bicycle or motor vehicle

Examples of freewheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The only other bottleneck would seemingly be the amount of computing needed to let the AI freewheel. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 7 June 2026

Never committing to any one character’s point of view, Balagov and Stepnova’s script freewheels in meandering but mostly disarming fashion between these strands, with an errant storytelling rhythm aptly reflective of lives that are at once static and in perpetually unproductive motion. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 13 May 2026

Verb

Familiarity has offered little comfort, with the Scots routinely picked apart by Brazil’s flair and freewheeling attacking style, losing three times and drawing once in those previous meetings. — Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 24 June 2026

By populating the green with so many conflicting personalities, director and cowriter Harold Ramis makes golf seem both monumentally silly and, despite its staid trappings, unexpectedly freewheeling. — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 18 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1899, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1899, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for freewheel

• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal
• cornmeal
• flywheel
• genteel