freewheel

English

Wikipedia

Noun

freewheel (plural freewheels)

1. a device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft.

Translations

device

• Finnish: vapaaratas
• German: Freilauf (de) m

• Russian: обгонная муфта (ru) (obgónnaja múfta) f, муфта свободного хода (ru) (múfta svobódnovo xóda) f

Verb

freewheel (third-person singular simple present freewheels, present participle freewheeling, simple past and past participle freewheeled)

1. (of a gear) To continue spinning after disengagement.
2. (of a cyclist) To ride a bicycle without pedalling, e.g. downhill.
3. (of a motorist) To operate a motor vehicle which is coasting without power, e.g. downhill.
4. (by extension) To operate free from constraints.