wheelhouse

noun

wheel·​house ˈ(h)wēl-ˌhau̇s 

plural wheelhouses

1

: pilothouse

Looking out at the all-but-empty bay from the wheelhouse of the new 28-foot research boat …

—Bill Nemitz

He climbed a rickety rope ladder to the ship's deck, then another five flights of stairs to the wheelhouse.

—Daniel Machalaba

2

: a place or center of control or leadership (as in an organization)

But while there was momentary calm in the wheelhouse, there was still a real question whether anyone was really in command of the administration's foreign-policy machinery.

—David Gelman et al.

3

US

a

baseball : the section of the strike zone where it is easiest for the batter to hit the ball well

The home run came on a 3–2 pitch. [Danny] Graves tried to get Jenkins with a sinker. "It was right in his wheelhouse," Graves said.

—John Fay

b

: an area that matches a person's skills or expertise

… he was right in his wheelhouse—politics is where [Stephen] Colbert soars.

—Adam Chitwood

Examples of wheelhouse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The song may be more uptempo than Wallen’s past smashes, but the arrangement is right in his wheelhouse, and the post-breakup messiness of the lyrics is a topic he’s ruminated on quite a bit over the course of his career. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 21 May 2024

The main deck is also outfitted with another wheelhouse and an opening balcony that allows seafarers to take in the views from the indoor sofas. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 May 2024

Turns out, world-building — that invaluable tool of 21st-century Hollywood franchises — may not be in his wheelhouse. —Peter Debruge, Variety, 16 May 2024

Even the decision to perform Spring Awakening came from the actors themselves after the musical, which had been in the wheelhouse of potential productions for some time, was finally put to a vote within the company. —Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024

Playing Captain Edward John Smith, Hill showcased a chilling combination of shock and guilt as water gushed into the ship's wheelhouse. —Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 May 2024

During the trial, defense attorneys acknowledged Boylan jumped off the ship after making a mayday call but said flames were 15 feet high and the wheelhouse had filled with smoke. —Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024

Boylan had been a captain for 34 years but failed to appoint an overnight watch, ignoring the Certificate of Inspection requirements hanging in his own wheelhouse. —Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024

All three rules are squarely within EPA’s regulatory wheelhouse and grounded in explicit statutory authority. —Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

wheelhouse

noun

wheel·​house -ˌhau̇s 

1

: pilothouse

2

: the place of control or leadership (as in an organization)

3

: an area that matches a person's skills or expertise