wheelie

noun

wheel·​ie ˈ(h)wē-lē How to pronounce wheelie (audio)
: a maneuver in which a wheeled vehicle (such as a bicycle) is momentarily balanced on its rear wheel or wheels

Examples of wheelie in a Sentence

He did a wheelie on his bike.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Preece's car suffered a dramatic accident becoming airborne after what looked like a wheelie and then flipping multiple times. Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025 Several cars slammed into each other and Ryan Preece, who had a terrifying airborne wreck at Daytona in 2023, flipped again after doing a wheelie and went upside down into the wall. Jeff Gluck, The Athletic, 16 Feb. 2025 Witnesses told The Desert Sun the officer was trying to pop a wheelie and the motorcycle slid into the crowd without him on it. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024 In November 2017, the rapper Meek Mill was arrested in Manhattan for popping a wheelie on a motorcycle. Jelani Cobb, Rolling Stone, 4 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for wheelie

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1965, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wheelie was circa 1965

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Cite this Entry

“Wheelie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheelie. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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