{
    "term": "wheel",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "one of the round objects under a car, bicycle, bus, etc. that turns when it moves",
            "sensetop": "on wheels",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He braked suddenly, causing the **front wheels** to skid."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the **rear wheels** of the car"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She was killed when she was crushed under the wheels of a bus."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I had lightweight wheels on my bike."
                },
                {
                    "text": "tractors with powered front wheels"
                },
                {
                    "text": "One of the boys was pushing the other along in a little box on wheels.",
                    "contextForm": "on wheels"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A tyre blew and we had to change the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She braked too hard and the wheels locked."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She fell under the wheels of a bus."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The wheels were still going around."
                },
                {
                    "text": "the sound of wheels crunching over snow"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Transport by car or lorry"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["bicycle", "car", "etc."],
                "wheel + verb": ["go around", "go round", "spin"],
                "wheel + noun": ["arch", "base", "bearings"],
                "preposition": ["on wheels", "under the wheels"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "the round object used for controlling the direction in which a car, etc. or ship moves",
            "sensetop": "behind the wheelat the wheel",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Always keep both hands on the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Never **get behind the wheel** if you're too tired.",
                    "contextForm": "behind the wheel"
                },
                {
                    "text": "This is the first time I've sat behind the wheel since the accident."
                },
                {
                    "text": "A car swept past with Laura at the wheel.",
                    "contextForm": "at the wheel"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Do you want to take the wheel *(= drive)* now?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a tree."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I drove the first 200 miles and then Steve took the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I saw the car drive past, but didn't recognize the woman behind the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I spend a lot of time behind the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bus set off again with a fresh driver at the wheel."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Transport by water"],
            "collocations": {
                "verb + wheel": ["grip", "hold", "turn"],
                "wheel + noun": ["lock"],
                "preposition": ["at the wheel", "behind the wheel"],
                "phrases": [
                    "keep your hands on the steering wheel",
                    "put your hands on the steering wheel",
                    "take your hands off the steering wheel"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a car",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "At last he had his own wheels."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a flat, round part in a machine",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "gear wheels"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "an organization or a system that seems to work like a complicated machine that is difficult to understand",
            "sensetop": "wheel (of something)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "the wheels of bureaucracy/commerce/government"
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was Rob's idea. I merely **set the wheels in motion** *(= started the process)*."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 6,
            "definition": "having the number or type of wheels mentioned",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a sixteen-wheeled lorry"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 7,
            "definition": "a car, bicycle, etc. with the number of wheels mentioned",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "a three-wheeler"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["bicycle", "car", "etc."],
                "wheel + verb": ["go around", "go round", "spin"],
                "wheel + noun": ["arch", "base", "bearings"],
                "preposition": ["on wheels", "under the wheels"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "not paying enough attention to what you need to do",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Let's hope the regulators are not asleep at the wheel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They were asleep on the job as the financial crisis deepened."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Someone must have been asleep at the switch to alow this to happen."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a person who is a small part of a large organization",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to help something to happen easily and without problems, especially in business or politics",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to start working very hard at a particular task",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Everyone is going to have to put their shoulder to the wheel."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to prevent somebody from putting their plans into operation",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to waste time creating something that already exists and works well",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There’s no point in us reinventing the wheel."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "a situation that is difficult to understand because it involves complicated or secret processes and decisions",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There are wheels within wheels in this organization—you never really know what is going on."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/wiːl/",
                "audio": "wh/wheel/wheel__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/wiːl/",
                "audio": "wh/wheel/wheel__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Old English hwēol (noun), of Germanic origin, from an Indo-European root shared by Sanskrit cakra ‘wheel, circle’ and Greek kuklos ‘circle’."
}