wheelie

American

[hwee-lee, wee-] / ˈʰwi li, ˈwi- /

noun

a small, usually folding, metal frame with wheels for carrying luggage or small packages.
a maneuver in which a bicycle, motorcycle, or car has its front wheel or wheels momentarily lifted off the ground.

wheelie British

/ ˈwiːlɪ /

noun

a manoeuvre on a bicycle or motorbike in which the front wheel is raised off the ground

"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 wheelie

First recorded in 1960–65; wheel + -ie

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.

“A one-time thing is like when you pop a wheelie on your bike and you stay up there for five minutes straight. Or when you guess your way through a test and get an A by accident. Spontaneously being able to camouflage your entire body is not a one-time thing.”

From Literature

Masked protesters are seen taking cover behind wheelie bins and bonfires, while a row of security forces is seen in the distance.

From BBC

“Dude, can you teach us to wheelie?”

From Literature

They’re laughing and Owen almost gets it, and then Leo does, so Owen is like, “I am getting this,” and starts jerking his handlebars like he’s going to die if he doesn’t pop a wheelie now that Leo has.

From Literature

Taylor pops a wheelie, but neither Owen nor Leo notice.

From Literature

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