pinwheel

1 of 2

noun

pin·​wheel ˈpin-ˌ(h)wēl 

1

: a fireworks device in the form of a revolving wheel of colored fire

2

: a toy consisting of lightweight vanes that revolve at the end of a stick

3

: something (such as a galaxy) shaped like a pinwheel

pinwheel

2 of 2

verb

pinwheeled; pinwheeling; pinwheels

intransitive verb

: to move like a pinwheel

Synonyms of pinwheel

Verb

• rotate
• revolve
• spin
• twirl

Examples of pinwheel in a Sentence

Verb

the kayaker had got sucked into the whirlpool, and his kayak was pinwheeling helplessly

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Susan Oludele, a braider in New York City and Los Angeles, likes to wrap the ends of her client’s cornrows into pinwheels to create Koroba braids (a style with Nigerian roots). —Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 18 June 2026

Hang Reflective Ornaments Flash tape, reflective wind spinners and pinwheels, and even old CDs can be used to scare off birds. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

Verb

The free arrows pinwheel around more, stabilizing the magnetic order in the up-down arrows. —Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 16 Jan. 2025

Forecasters warned of the arrival Thursday into Friday of a second intensifying low pressure area, which will pinwheel around the first bomb cyclone in an atmospheric interaction known as the Fujiwara Effect. —Andrew Freedman, Axios, 18 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1907, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for pinwheel

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

Kids Definition

pinwheel

noun

pin·​wheel

-ˌhwēl

1

: a fireworks device in the form of a spinning wheel of colored fire

2

: a toy made of fanlike blades that spin in the wind at the end of a stick