waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel ˈwȯ-tər-ˌ(h)wēl 

ˈwä-

1

: a wheel made to rotate by direct action of water

2

: a wheel for raising water

Illustration of waterwheel

• waterwheel 1

Examples of waterwheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Six months after a crash destroyed a Rancho Cordova furniture store’s iconic 40-year-old waterwheel, the company unveiled the rebuilt landmark, constructed using the original plans. — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 14 Aug. 2026

This whimsical garden is complete with decorative windmill, waterwheel, and cheery flowers. — Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026

The Venus flytrap’s aquatic cousin — the waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) — also has rapid-closing traps, only they’re tuned to underwater prey. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026

In the case of carnivorous plants, Natural History Museum, Berlin, botanist Eva-Maria Sadowski says, prehistoric relatives of today’s waterwheel plant are known from prehistoric pollen in rocks about as old as the carnivorous leaves in amber. — Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for waterwheel

• bookmobile
• cochineal
• nonideal
• peroneal
• philomel
• snowmobile
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal

Kids Definition

waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel -ˌhwēl 

-ˌwēl

: a wheel made to turn by a flow of water against it