| Formes composées |
| Anglais | Français |
asleep at the wheel,
also US: asleep at the switch adj | informal, figurative (not paying attention) (figuré) | dans la lune loc adv |
| I'm sorry; I should have understood what you wanted. I was asleep at the wheel. |
| Je suis désolé, j'aurais dû comprendre ce que tu voulais. J'étais dans la lune. |
| at the wheel expr | (driving) | au volant adv |
| Ernest was at the wheel when a pine tree fell across the road. |
| Ernest était au volant quand un pin est tombé sur la route. |
| at the wheel expr | figurative (in charge) (figuré) | à la barre loc adv |
| balance n | (timepiece: balance wheel) | balancier nm |
| balance wheel n | (timepiece: regulates beats) (horloge) | balancier nm |
| The balance wheel in this alarm clock rotates at a rate of 4 beats per second. |
| behind the wheel expr | (driving, in control of a vehicle) | au volant loc adv |
| The car crashed because the man behind the wheel was drunk. |
| big wheel n | UK (fairground Ferris wheel) (attraction) | grande roue nf |
| Il y a toujours une grande roue dans les fêtes foraines. |
| big wheel n | US, informal ([sb] important or powerful) (familier : personne importante) | grosse légume nf |
| (familier) | gros bonnet nm |
| (familier) | grand manitou nm |
| Mon beau-père est une grosse légume. |
| car wheel n | often plural (wheel of an automobile) | roue de voiture nf |
| castor wheel n | (roller underneath furniture) | roulette nf |
| My sofa is easy to move as it has castor wheels. |
cog in the wheel,
cog in the machine n | figurative (small part of a large system) | rouage nm |
| He's just a cog in the wheel, not a leader. |
color wheel (US),
colour wheel (UK) n | (chart showing color relationships) | cercle chromatique nm |
| roue chromatique nf |
daisy wheel,
daisywheel n | (typewriter or printer element) (petite roue) | marguerite nf |
| driving wheel n | (main wheel in machine) | roue motrice nf |
| driving wheel n | (railroad: driver) (train) | roue motrice nf |
| escape wheel n | (moving part of a timepiece) | roue d'échappement nf |
| An escape wheel in a clock controls the speed of the hands. |
| Ferris wheel n | (wheel at a fairground) | grande roue nf |
| The London Eye is one of the world's tallest Ferris wheels. You have a terrific view from the top of a Ferris wheel. |
| Le London Eye est l'une des grandes roues les plus hautes au monde. On a une vue superbe en haut d'une grande roue. |
| fifth wheel n | (transport: axle device) (Mécanique) | sellette, sellette d'attelage nf |
fifth wheel,
fifth wheel trailer n | (towable recreational vehicle) | caravane à sellette nf |
| fifth wheel n | (transport: spare wheel) (véhicule) | roue de secours nf |
| fifth wheel n | figurative, informal (unnecessary person or thing) (figuré) | cinquième roue du carrosse nf |
| (avec un couple) | tenir la chandelle loc v |
| flywheel n | (rotating wheel in a machine) | volant d'inertie nm |
| Flywheels are used in some machines to regulate the speed of operation or store kinetic energy. |
| four-wheel n as adj | (having four wheels) (véhicule) | à quatre roues loc adj |
| four-wheel n as adj | (powered by four wheels) (véhicule) | à quatre roues motrices, quatre roues motrices loc adj |
| four-wheel drive n | (vehicle: SUV) (voiture) | 4x4, quatre-quatre nm inv |
| Note: Prononcé "quatre-quatre". |
| Drivers in rural areas need a four-wheel drive to cope with winter conditions. |
| four-wheel drive n as adj | (vehicle: of SUV type) | 4x4, quatre-quatre adj inv |
| front-wheel drive n | (car: power to front wheels only) | traction avant nf |
| Her new car's got front-wheel drive; it's a lot better on slippery roads than her old one was. |
| grinding wheel | (wheel used for grinding) | meule nf |
idle pulley,
idler pulley,
idle wheel n | (loose pulley) | poulie folle, poulie libre nf |
| idle wheel n | (machine part) (mécanique) | roue folle nf |
| pignon intermédiaire nm |
| measuring wheel n | (device for calculating length) | roue de mesure de distance nf |
| mill wheel | (for driving mill) | roue de moulin nf |
| nose wheel n | (part of a plane's undercarriage) (aviation) | train avant nm |
| Quand l'avion a percuté la barrière, le train avant s'est arraché et l'avion a terminé sa course par un cheval de bois. |
| roue avant nf |
| Les trains "tricycles" sont composés de deux trains principaux légèrement à l’arrière du centre de gravité et d’une roue à l’avant. |
| paddle wheel n | (wheel that propels a paddle boat) | roue à aubes nf |
pinwheel,
Catherine wheel n | (firework) (feu d'artifice) | soleil nm |
| The children were excited by the pinwheels in the fireworks show. |
| potter's wheel n | (device: pottery) | tour de potier nm |
| put a spoke in [sb]'s wheel v expr | UK, informal, figurative (plan: ruin) | mettre des bâtons dans les roues de [qqn] loc v + prép |
| Peter was planning to go away for the weekend, until the boss put a spoke in his wheel by giving him a load of work to get done by Monday morning. |
| ratchet wheel n | (mechanical engineering) (mécanique) | roue à rochet nf |
| reinvent the wheel v expr | figurative (create [sth] that already exists) | réinventer la roue loc v |
rotifer,
wheel animalcule n | (tiny aquatic animal) (petit animal aquatique) | rotifère nm |
| roulette wheel n | (spinning part of roulette table) (jeu) | roulette nf |
| scroll wheel n | (part of computer mouse) (Informatique) | molette de souris, molette nf |
| (Informatique) | roulette de défilement nf |
| ship's wheel n | (helm: steering wheel of a sailing vessel) | gouvernail nm |
| barre nf |
| spinning wheel n | (device for spinning fibre into yarn) | rouet nm |
| As a child I had a spinning wheel to make yarn from wool. |
| ⓘCette phrase n'est pas une traduction de la phrase originale. On utilisait un rouet pour filer la laine. |
spur wheel,
spur gear n | (mechanical engineering) | engrenage nm |
| roue dentée nf |
| steering wheel n | (control wheel of a vehicle) | volant nm |
| A driver should not need to take their hands off the steering wheel to turn on the indicator. |
sun gear,
sun wheel n | (mechanical engineering) | roue solaire nf |
| take the wheel v expr | (drive a vehicle) | prendre le volant loc v |
| third wheel n | (odd person out among three people) (figuré) | cinquième roue du carrosse nf |
| (Suisse, figuré) | cinquième roue du char nf |
waterwheel,
water wheel n | (wheel powered by water) | roue à eau, roue hydraulique nf |
| roue à aubes nf |
| In early cotton mills a waterwheel was often used to generate electricity. |
| wheel and axle | (simple machine) | treuil nm |
| wheel and deal v expr | (engage in business schemes) (familier) | magouiller⇒, trafiquer⇒ vi |
| wheel horse n | (wheeler: horse nearest vehicle) (cheval d'attelage) | timonier, limonier nm |
| wheel horse n | US, regional (left-hand plow horse) (vieilli : cheval de gauche) | cheval porteur nm |
| wheel horse n | US, regional, figurative (strong, reliable worker) (figuré) | bête de somme nm, nf |
| travailleur assidu, travailleuse assidue nm, nf |
| wheel lock n | (military: gun lock) (arme à feu) | rouet nm |
| wheel lock n | (military: gun with type of lock) | fusil à rouet nm |
| wheel of fortune n | (gambling device) (machine à sous) | roue de la fortune nf |
wheel [sth] out,
wheel out [sth] vtr + adv | (bring into view) | ressortir⇒ vtr |
| wire wheel n | (brush in shape of wheel) | brosse meuleuse, brosse pour touret nf |
| wire wheel n | (wheel with metal spokes) | roue à rayons nf |
worm gear,
worm wheel n | (gear driven by worm) | roue à vis sans fin nf |
