freewheel
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freewheel
noun freewheels · free wheel
- A device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft.
- The mode or state of operation thus produced: Synonym of neutral.
verb freewheels · freewheeling · freewheeled
- Of a gear, to continue spinning after disengagement.
- Of a cyclist, to ride a bicycle without pedalling, e.g. downhill. On her elderly bicycle with the basketwork carrier on the handle-bars, Dorothy free-wheeled down the hill, doing mental arithmetic with three pounds nineteen and fourpence--her entire stock of money until next quarter-day.
- Of a motorist, to operate a motor vehicle which is coasting without power, e.g. downhill. Silently and gracefully I free-wheeled across the path of three juggernauts, [...] glided across the hard shoulder and came to rest halfway up a grass bank.
- To operate free from constraints.
Translations
Every language
noun device
| Español | piñón libre, embrague rebasante |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 프리휠 peurihwil |
| Français | roue libre |
| Deutsch | Freilauf |
| Русский | обго́нная му́фта obgónnaja múfta, му́фта свобо́дного хо́да múfta svobódnovo xóda |
| Tiếng Việt | bánh răng |
Talk about this word "freewheel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/freewheel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. freewheel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/freewheel "freewheel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/freewheel.
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@misc{freewheel_2026,
title = {freewheel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/freewheel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
