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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

This water-energy-food nexus goes back centuries—maybe even to the first waterwheels around 100 BCE, which affected fishing downstream. —Noah Gordon, The New Republic, 29 Mar. 2023

The rustic building with a waterwheel sits in contrast to the neighboring art deco buildings, erected in the same decade. —Dallas News, 29 Sep. 2022

As a simple mental picture, imagine a clock with gears connected to a waterwheel instead of a motor. —Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 8 Apr. 2021

Inside, a waterwheel dropped chalky white lime dust into the vermillion stream below. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2022

There is a saltwater infinity pool, a hot tub and a koi pond with a waterwheel. —Kathy Orton, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2022

At the springhead, visitors can swim in crystal-clear waters, then explore a historic millhouse and waterwheel constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. —Patrick Connolly, orlandosentinel.com, 17 Oct. 2021

In other cases, the clocks were driven by the same waterwheel that powered the factory. —Jonathon Keats, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021

It’s the knowledge-work equivalent of figuring out how to make the waterwheel turn faster—a useful improvement in the moment, but not nearly as important as the looming introduction of the steam engine. —Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2020

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Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel -ˌhwēl 

-ˌwēl

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