waterwheel

noun

wa·​ter·​wheel ˈwȯ-tər-ˌ(h)wēl How to pronounce waterwheel (audio)
ˈwä-
1
: a wheel made to rotate by direct action of water
2
: a wheel for raising water

Illustration of waterwheel

Illustration of waterwheel
  • waterwheel 1

Examples of waterwheel in a Sentence

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.
The river once powered its looms via wood waterwheels, and the pure, soft water is still used today to wash cashmere. — Shane C Kurup, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Dec. 2024 An anti-government fighter poses for a picture in front of one of the waterwheels, or norias, of Hama. — Ammar Cheikh Omar, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2024 This whimsical garden is complete with decorative windmill, waterwheel, and cheery flowers. — Sarah Miller, Midwest Living, 29 Apr. 2026 The Venus flytrap’s aquatic cousin — the waterwheel plant (Aldrovanda vesiculosa) — also has rapid-closing traps, only they’re tuned to underwater prey. — Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for waterwheel

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of waterwheel was in the 15th century

Rhymes for waterwheel

See All Rhymes for waterwheel

Browse Nearby Words

water weevil
waterwheel
water whip
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Waterwheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/waterwheel. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

waterwheel

noun
wa·​ter·​wheel -ˌhwēl How to pronounce waterwheel (audio)
-ˌwēl
: a wheel made to turn by a flow of water against it

More from Merriam-Webster on waterwheel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about waterwheel

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All