pinwheel

American  

[pin-hweel, -weel] / ˈpɪnˌʰwil, -ˌwil /

Or pin wheel

noun

1. a child's toy consisting of a wheel or leaflike curls of paper or plastic loosely attached by a pin to a stick, designed to revolve when blown by or as by the wind.

2. Also called catherine wheel.  a kind of firework supported on a pin which, when ignited, revolves rapidly and gives a dazzling display of light.

3. a wheel having pins at right angles to its rim for engaging the teeth of a gear.

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verb (used without object)

1. to revolve rapidly like a pinwheel.

   Images of the past pinwheeled through his mind.

pinwheel British  

/ ˈpɪnˌwiːl /

noun

1. another name for Catherine wheel

2. a cogwheel whose teeth are formed by small pins projecting either axially or radially from the rim of the wheel

3. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): windmill.   whirligig.  a toy consisting of plastic or paper vanes attached to a stick in such a manner that they revolve like the sails of a windmill

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Etymology

Origin of pinwheel

First recorded in 1695–1705; pin + wheel

Example Sentences

In seconds I was back at it, arranging little wooden people — meeples, as they’re known — around a pinwheel with numbers at the end of each spoke.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024

For the first time our data allowed us to analyze the likely axis of a possible future burst from our pinwheel Wolf-Rayets.

From Scientific American • Aug. 18, 2023

They’re individually portioned, travel well to cookie exchanges and are as varied as a sentimental snickerdoodle or a stylish pistachio pinwheel.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 26, 2022

Despite Miller’s talent and feverish enthusiasm, and the gravitational pull of his stars, the movie’s colorful parts just whir and stop, a pinwheel in unsteady wind.

From New York Times • Aug. 25, 2022

With no further ceremony Joe hopped on, Bloom let go, and immediately Joe was revolving like a pinwheel about six feet above the ground while Sunflower just trotted out from underneath him.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols