paddle wheel

American  

noun

1. a wheel for propelling a ship, having a number of paddles entering the water more or less perpendicularly.

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paddle wheel British  

noun

1. a large wheel fitted with paddles, turned by an engine to propel a vessel on the water

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Other Word Forms

• paddle-wheel adjective

Etymology

Origin of paddle wheel

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

A paddle wheel would turn a shaft that propelled gears that moved belts to make products like candles, felt and wire.

From New York Times • Jan. 20, 2020

The gentle current, kicked up by a creaky paddle wheel, terrifies nobody.

From The New Yorker • Oct. 29, 2019

Later, people on Malaske’s boat saw a duck boat passenger “hanging on for dear life” to the paddle wheel of the Belle, he said.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 20, 2018

Johns said Golden Nugget, Lake Charles’ newest riverboat, had to have a paddle wheel, a pilothouse and a crew and, “It’s sitting on a mud flat to make it legal.”

From Washington Times • Dec. 13, 2017

Note the paddle wheel and smokestack in the middle of the ship, as well as the masts for sails at both the bow and stern.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly