Synonyms

flywheel

American

[flahy-hweel, -weel] / ˈflaɪˌʰwil, -ˌwil /

noun

Machinery.

a heavy disk or wheel rotating on a shaft so that its momentum gives almost uniform rotational speed to the shaft and to all connected machinery.

flywheel British

/ ˈflaɪˌwiːl /

noun

a heavy wheel that stores kinetic energy and smooths the operation of a reciprocating engine by maintaining a constant speed of rotation over the whole cycle

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of flywheel

First recorded in 1775–85; fly ² + wheel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“But it lacks a large-scale authenticated consumer network, consumer brand and the data flywheel that a two-sided network could provide.”

From MarketWatch

Any hiccup in that flywheel—like a report about reluctant lenders—can send the stock plunging.

From Barron's

As the structure moves with the waves, the rotating flywheel converts that motion into electrical power.

From Science Daily

He believes SoFi has a profitable “primary relationship flywheel,” whereby it has succeeded in drawing existing members to new products, a strategy that gives the company greater potential to scale its business.

From MarketWatch

D’Amaro has said he wants to use technology to accelerate the flywheel that moves Disney content between different media platforms and to theme parks and store shelves.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023