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
Bill NemitzHe climbed a rickety rope ladder to the ship's deck, then another five flights of stairs to the wheelhouse.—Daniel Machalaba
Daniel Machalaba2
: 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.
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
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
Adam ChitwoodExamples of wheelhouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That would have been such a meta moment, right in John’s wheelhouse.
—Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
The civilian Pentagon leadership’s prioritization of internal security missions will take time and attention away from external challenges that are more in the military’s traditional wheelhouse, including in the Asia-Pacific.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025
Kate is right in Fey’s Liz Lemon wheelhouse (if a little less pitiful), and Forte is shockingly normal as Kate’s nice-guy husband Jack.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 1 May 2025
Content is another powerful wheelhouse in this respect.
—Katie Baron, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wheelhouse
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Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 11 May 2025
The civilian Pentagon leadership’s prioritization of internal security missions will take time and attention away from external challenges that are more in the military’s traditional wheelhouse, including in the Asia-Pacific.
—Risa Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 8 Apr. 2025
Kate is right in Fey’s Liz Lemon wheelhouse (if a little less pitiful), and Forte is shockingly normal as Kate’s nice-guy husband Jack.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 1 May 2025
Content is another powerful wheelhouse in this respect.
—Katie Baron, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wheelhouse
Cite this Entry
“Wheelhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheelhouse. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wheelhouse
noun
wheel·house
-ˌhau̇s
1
2
: the place of control or leadership (as in an organization)
3
: an area that matches a person's skills or expertise
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