Illustration of pulley
- pulley 2
plural pulleys
1
: a sheave or small wheel with a grooved rim and with or without the block in which it runs used singly with a rope or chain to change the direction and point of application of a pulling force and in various combinations to increase the applied force especially for lifting weights
2
: a pulley or pulleys with ropes to form a tackle that constitutes one of the simple machines
3
: a wheel used to transmit power by means of a band, belt, cord, rope, or chain passing over its rim
Examples of pulley in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to the ECU, other upgrades include a Steeda Autosports under-drive supercharger pulley, Borla long-tube headers, and a Ford Performance muffler.
—
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2024
The cranks and pulleys in Thomson’s machine were configured so that by spinning them, the user would get an output that was identical to the result of the expression that needed to be solved.
—Michael Moyer, Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Researchers think the site’s stones were shaped by hand tools and erected with winch and pulley systems.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Aug. 2024
And in the late 19th century, William Thomson, who later became Lord Kelvin, designed a machine that used shafts, cranks and pulleys to model the influence of celestial bodies on the tides.
—Michael Moyer, Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pulley 
Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2024
The cranks and pulleys in Thomson’s machine were configured so that by spinning them, the user would get an output that was identical to the result of the expression that needed to be solved.
—Michael Moyer, Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Researchers think the site’s stones were shaped by hand tools and erected with winch and pulley systems.
—Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Aug. 2024
And in the late 19th century, William Thomson, who later became Lord Kelvin, designed a machine that used shafts, cranks and pulleys to model the influence of celestial bodies on the tides.
—Michael Moyer, Quanta Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pulley
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pulley.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pulley
Cite this Entry
“Pulley.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pulley. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pulley
noun
pul·ley
ˈpu̇l-ē 
plural pulleys
: a small wheel with a grooved rim used with a rope or chain to change the direction of a pulling force and in combination to increase the force applied for lifting
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share