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

The river once powered its looms via wood waterwheels, and the pure, soft water is still used today to wash cashmere. —Shane C Kurup, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Dec. 2024

An anti-government fighter poses for a picture in front of one of the waterwheels, or norias, of Hama. —Ammar Cheikh Omar, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2024

Inside Mutton’s Mill is a rare waterwheel, once used to drain the marshes here for agricultural purposes. —Chris Baraniuk, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2024

Imagineering then set out to re-create the original Swiss Family Treehouse waterwheel, calling upon the company’s archives division to dig up the historical structure. —Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for waterwheel

• afebrile
• bookmobile
• cochineal
• nonideal
• peroneal
• philomel
• popliteal
• snowmobile
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal

Kids Definition

waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel -ˌhwēl 

-ˌwēl

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