wheel
gb/wˈil/ us/wˈil/
A1
English
~ 2200
kerék, kormány, kormánykerék, tol, gurít, húz, hirtelen megfordul, megfordul, megperdül
NOUN
A1
1
kerék
A1
Usage pattern:
[something] has [number] wheels
The front wheel of my bike is bent.
Elgörbült a biciklim első kereke.
She replaced the wheel on her suitcase after it broke.
Kicserélte a bőrönd kerekét, miután az eltört.
The car's wheels spun on the icy road.
He admired the intricate design on the wagon wheel.
Learner examples
The car has four wheels.
Az autónak négy kereke van.
My bike wheel is broken.
Eltört a biciklim kereke.
A bus has many wheels.
The wheel helps the cart move.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'wheel' with 'tire'; the tire is only the outer rubber part of a wheel.
Meaning
Circular rotating object for movement
Collocations
car wheel
|bicycle wheel
|spinning wheel
|front wheel
|rear wheel
Synonyms
tire (Refers specifically to the rubber part of a vehicle's wheel, not the entire structure.)
|
caster (A small wheel on furniture or equipment, not for vehicles.)
Antonyms
track (A continuous band used for movement instead of wheels, as on tanks or bulldozers.)
Themes
transport
|daily life
|mechanics
|transportation
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A round object that turns and helps something move, like on a car or bicycle.
A circular object that turns around a central point and is used to help move vehicles or machines.
NOUN
A2
2
kormány
A2
kormánykerék
B1
Usage pattern:
to turn the wheel [direction]
She kept both hands firmly on the wheel.
Mindkét kezét szorosan a kormányon tartotta.
The captain stood at the wheel as the ship entered the harbor.
A kapitány a kormánynál állt, amikor a hajó befutott a kikötőbe.
He quickly grabbed the wheel to avoid hitting the deer.
Learner examples
I put my hands on the wheel.
Rátettem a két kezem a kormányra.
Turn the wheel to go left.
Ha balra akarsz menni, fordítsd balra a kormányt.
He is behind the wheel of his car.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'wheel' in this sense with vehicle tires; here it refers to steering control, not movement support.
Meaning
Circular steering control in vehicles
Collocations
steering wheel
|grab the wheel
|behind the wheel
Synonyms
helm (Used mainly for steering ships; more nautical in use.)
Antonyms
autopilot (An automatic control system that removes the need for manual steering.)
Themes
transport
|daily life
|transportation
|technology
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A round thing you hold to make a car, boat, or plane go in the direction you want.
A circular device used by a driver or pilot to control the direction of a vehicle, ship, or aircraft.
VERB
A2
3
Usage pattern:
to wheel [something] [somewhere]
The nurse wheeled the patient into the room.
A nővér betolta a beteget a szobába.
He wheeled his bike into the garage.
Betolta a biciklijét a garázsba.
They wheeled a trolley full of food to the kitchen.
Learner examples
I will wheel the cart to the door.
Odatolom a kocsit az ajtóhoz.
She wheeled her bag into the house.
Behúzta a gurulós táskáját a házba.
They wheeled the box outside.
Meaning
Move something using wheels
Collocations
wheel a cart
|wheel away
|wheel into position
Synonyms
push (More general; not necessarily involving wheels.)
|
roll (To move something smoothly along a surface; may or may not involve guiding it.)
Antonyms
carry (To hold and transport something without wheels.)
Themes
daily life
|movement
|daily_life
|transportation
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To move something by pushing or pulling it on wheels.
To push or pull something that has wheels so that it moves along the ground.
VERB
B1
4
Usage pattern:
to wheel around [direction]
She wheeled around when she heard her name.
Hirtelen megfordult, amikor meghallotta a nevét.
He wheeled suddenly to see who had spoken.
Hirtelen megfordult, hogy megnézze, ki szólalt meg.
The soldier wheeled to attention.
Learner examples
He wheeled around to look at me.
Hirtelen megfordult, hogy rám nézzen.
She wheeled quickly when she heard a sound.
Hirtelen megfordult, amikor hangot hallott.
I wheeled to see my friend.
Meaning
Turn around suddenly
Collocations
wheel around
|wheel suddenly
Synonyms
pivot (Suggests turning on a fixed point; more formal or technical.)
Antonyms
face forward (To remain facing in the same direction without turning.)
Themes
movement
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To turn your body quickly to face another way.
To turn around in place quickly, often to face a different direction.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wheel
IPA
GB/wˈil/
US/wˈil/
Syllables & stress
wheel (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (wheel)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: wheel
- Plural: wheels
Verb
- Base: wheel
- 3rd Person Singular: wheels
- Present Participle: wheeling
- Past: wheeled
Word family
Forms
wheels
noun
wheeling
verb
wheeled
verb
Related words
Expressions
at the wheel
1/ˈæt ðə wˈil/
fixed phrase
In position to steer a vehicle
Sitting in front of and ready to control a vehicle.
Examples
- She was at the wheel when the accident happened.
- With him at the wheel, we felt safe.
behind the wheel
1/bɪhˈaɪnd ðə wˈil/
idiom
Driving a vehicle
Driving or controlling a vehicle.
Examples
- He’s been behind the wheel for six hours straight.
- It’s dangerous to be behind the wheel when you’re tired.
put one’s shoulder to the wheel
1/pˈʊt wˈʌnz ʃˈoʊldɚ tə ðə wˈil/
idiom
literary
Work hard towards a goal
To start working very hard to reach something you want.
Examples
- If we all put our shoulders to the wheel, we can finish on time.
- It’s time to put your shoulder to the wheel and study for exams.
wheel and deal
1/wˈil ˈænd dˈil/
idiom
informal
Engage in aggressive deal-making
To try to get what you want by making smart and sometimes tricky business deals.
Examples
- He made his fortune by wheeling and dealing in real estate.
- She’s known for her ability to wheel and deal with suppliers.
reinvent the wheel
1/ɹˌiɪnvˈɛnt ðə wˈil/
idiom
waste effort duplicating something existing
To spend time and effort making something that other people have already made well, instead of using what is already there.
Examples
- Don’t reinvent the wheel—use last year’s plan as a starting point.
- You don’t need to reinvent the wheel—there are plenty of good templates you can download.
- They spent months reinventing the wheel instead of improving what they had.
- Before we reinvent the wheel, let’s see what tools other teams are already using.
- Teachers share lesson plans online so others don’t have to reinvent the wheel every year.
reinvent the wheel
1/ɹˌiɪnvˈɛnt ðə wˈil/
idiom
duplicate an existing solution
to spend time making a solution when a good solution already exists
Examples
- We don't need to reinvent the wheel; there are plenty of apps that already do this.
- Before you build your own system, check whether you're reinventing the wheel.
- The team saved months by adapting open-source software instead of reinventing the wheel.
Learner examples
- For this project, we should not reinvent the wheel.
- I used a template because I didn't want to reinvent the wheel.