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noun

wheelbarrow

WEEL-ba-roh
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Wheelbarrow (noun) means a small cart with one wheel at the front and handles at the back, used to carry loads by hand. Example: “He pushed a wheelbarrow full of bricks across the yard.”

noun
1
A small cart with one wheel at the front and handles at the back, used to carry loads by hand.
"The line was built by navvies using little more than wheelbarrows and shovels, with whatever material was close at hand, and the railway suffered from earthworks problems right from the start." — Paul Clifton, Network News: Fareham Tunnel blockade aids landslip prevention (2022)
"He pushed a wheelbarrow full of bricks across the yard."
"One day I was out in the barn and he drifted in. I was currying the horse and he set down on the wheelbarrow and begun to ask questions." — Joseph Crosby Lincoln (1913)
"Space for the concrete batching plant was found some little distance down the line, and from here a total of 60 tons of concrete was despatched in a wheelbarrow on a railway trolley." — Richard Hope, Narrow Gauge Landslip (1959)
verb
1
To carry or move something using a wheelbarrow.
"They wheelbarrowed the soil to the flower beds."

How to use wheelbarrow

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA one-wheeled hand cart used for hauling garden or building materials.

Common pairings
push a wheelbarrow a wheelbarrow full of
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Word forms

Plural
wheelbarrows
Third person singular
wheelbarrows
Past tense
wheelbarrowed
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

He pushed a _____ full of bricks across the yard.

Etymology

From Middle English whelbarwe, a combination of "wheel" and an old word for a hand-carried frame (related to "barrow").

Origin: Middle English

barrow lawn cart garden cart

Related words

Rhymes for wheelbarrow

See all rhymes for wheelbarrow →

Frequently asked questions

What does “wheelbarrow” mean?
The word “wheelbarrow” means a small cart with one wheel at the front and handles at the back, used to carry loads by hand. In plain terms, a one-wheeled hand cart used for hauling garden or building materials.
How do you pronounce “wheelbarrow”?
“Wheelbarrow” is pronounced WEEL-ba-roh (/ˈwilbæɹoʊ/ in IPA).
How do you use “wheelbarrow” in a sentence?
Here is “wheelbarrow” used in a sentence: “He pushed a wheelbarrow full of bricks across the yard.”
What part of speech is “wheelbarrow”?
Depending on how it is used, “wheelbarrow” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “wheelbarrow” come from?
The word “wheelbarrow” comes from Middle English. From Middle English whelbarwe, a combination of "wheel" and an old word for a hand-carried frame (related to "barrow").
How many meanings does “wheelbarrow” have?
“Wheelbarrow” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small cart with one wheel at the front and handles at the back, used to carry loads by hand.

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