Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

4 VERB If you wheel an object that has wheels somewhere, you push it along. □ [V n prep/adv] He wheeled his bike into the alley at the side of the house. □ [V n prep/adv] They wheeled her out on the stretcher.

5 VERB If something such as a group of animals or birds wheels , it moves in a circle. [LITERARY ] □ [V ] A flock of crows wheeled overhead.

6 VERB If you wheel around, you turn around suddenly where you are standing, often because you are surprised, shocked, or angry. □ [V adv] He wheeled around to face her.

7 N‑PLURAL People talk about the wheels of an organization or system to mean the way in which it operates. □ [+ of ] He knows the wheels of administration turn slowly.

8to oil the wheels → see oil

9 → see also Catherine wheel , meals on wheels , potter's wheel , spare wheel , spinning wheel , steering wheel , water wheel

whee l and dea l (wheels and deals , wheeling and dealing , wheeled and dealed ) VERB If you say that someone wheels and deals , you mean that they use a lot of different methods and contacts to achieve what they want in business or politics, often in a way which you consider dishonest. □ [V ] He still wheels and deals around the globe. ●  wheel|ing and deal|ing N‑UNCOUNT □  He hates the wheeling and dealing associated with conventional political life.

wheel|barrow / ^h wiː lbæroʊ/ (wheelbarrows ) N‑COUNT A wheelbarrow is a small open cart with one wheel and handles that is used for carrying things, for example in the garden.

wheel|base / ^h wiː lbe I s/ (wheelbases ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] The wheelbase of a car or other vehicle is the distance between its front and back wheels.

wheel|chair / ^h wiː ltʃeə ^r / (wheelchairs ) N‑COUNT A wheelchair is a chair with wheels that you use in order to move about in if you cannot walk properly, for example because you have a disability or are sick.

whee l clamp (wheel clamps , wheel clamping , wheel clamped )

1 N‑COUNT A wheel clamp is a large metal device which is fitted to the wheel of an illegally parked car or other vehicle in order to prevent it from being driven away. The motorist has to pay to have the clamp removed. [BRIT ] in AM, use Denver boot 2 VERB If a car is wheel clamped , a wheel clamp is fixed to one of its wheels so that it cannot be driven away. [BRIT ] □ [be V -ed] Unauthorized vehicles will be wheel clamped or towed away. in AM, use boot ●  wheel-clamping N‑UNCOUNT □  …drivers forced to pay wheel-clamping charges.

whee ler-dea ler (wheeler-dealers ) N‑COUNT If you refer to someone, especially in business or politics, as a wheeler-dealer , you disapprove of the way that they try to succeed or to get what they want, often by dishonest or unfair methods. [DISAPPROVAL ]

wheel|house / ^h wiː lhaʊs/ (wheelhouses ) N‑COUNT A wheelhouse is a small room or shelter on a ship or boat, where the wheel used for steering the boat is situated.

wheelie bin / ^h wiː lib I n/ (wheelie bins ) N‑COUNT A wheelie bin is a large, rectangular dustbin with a hinged lid and wheels on two of the corners. [BRIT , AUSTRALIAN ]

wheel|wright / ^h wiː lra I t/ (wheelwrights ) N‑COUNT A wheelwright is someone who makes and repairs wooden wheels and other wooden things such as carts, carriages, and gates.

wheeze / ^h wiː z/ (wheezes , wheezing , wheezed ) VERB If someone wheezes , they breathe with difficulty and make a whistling sound. □ [V ] He had quite serious problems with his chest and wheezed and coughed all the time. □ [V with quote] 'Boy,' wheezed old Pop Ryan.

wheezy / ^h wiː zi/ ADJ A wheezy cough or laugh comes from someone who has difficulty breathing, so it makes a whistling sound.

whelk / ^h we lk/ (whelks ) N‑COUNT A whelk is a creature like a snail that is found in the sea near the shore. Whelks have hard shells, and soft bodies which can be eaten.