wheelie

noun

wheel·​ie ˈ(h)wē-lē How to pronounce wheelie (audio)
: a maneuver in which a wheeled vehicle (such as a bicycle) is momentarily balanced on its rear wheel or wheels

Examples of wheelie in a Sentence

He did a wheelie on his bike.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a case that generated a national conversation, Orange County prosecutors in April filed felony charges against the mother of a 14-year-old boy accused of hitting an 81-year-old man while doing wheelies on his e-motorcycle in Lake Forest. Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026 So don’t expect to pop any wheelies with it. Utkarsh Sood june 13, New Atlas, 13 June 2026 Fans saw the trucks jump high into the air, drift around tight turns, smash into vehicles and perform hit backwards wheelies. Shannon Tyler, Idaho Statesman, 7 June 2026 And in Lake Forest, a 14-year-old doing wheelies on an e-motorcycle – able to reach 56 mph – struck and killed an 81-year-old Vietnam veteran walking home from his job as a substitute teacher, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said. Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN Money, 24 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for wheelie

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wheelie was circa 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Wheelie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheelie. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.

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