windmill

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wind·mill

 (wĭnd′mĭl′)
n.
1. A machine that runs on the energy generated by a wheel of adjustable blades or slats rotated by the wind.
2. Something, such as a toy pinwheel, that is similar to a windmill in appearance or operation.
intr. & tr.v. wind·milled, wind·mill·ing, wind·mills
To move or cause to move like the wheel of a windmill; rotate sweepingly.
Idiom:
tilt at windmills
To confront and engage in conflict with an imagined opponent or threat.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

windmill

(ˈwɪndˌmɪl; ˈwɪnˌmɪl)
n
1. (Mechanical Engineering) a machine for grinding or pumping driven by a set of adjustable vanes or sails that are caused to turn by the force of the wind
2. (Mechanical Engineering) the set of vanes or sails that drives such a mill
3. (Other Non-sporting Hobbies) Also called: whirligig Brit a toy consisting of plastic or paper vanes attached to a stick in such a manner that they revolve like the sails of a windmill. US and Canadian name: pinwheel
4. an imaginary opponent or evil (esp in the phrase tilt at or fight windmills)
5. (Aeronautics) a small air-driven propeller fitted to a light aircraft to drive auxiliary equipment. Compare ram-air turbine
6. (Aeronautics) an informal name for helicopter
7. (Mechanical Engineering) an informal name for propeller1
vb
8. to move or cause to move like the arms of a windmill
9. (Commerce) an informal name for accommodation bill
10. (Mechanical Engineering) (intr) (of an aircraft propeller, rotor of a turbine, etc) to rotate as a result of the force of a current of air rather than under power
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

wind•mill

(ˈwɪndˌmɪl)

n.
1. any of various machines for grinding, pumping, etc., driven by the force of the wind acting upon a number of vanes or sails.
3. an imaginary opponent, wrong, etc. (in allusion to Cervantes' Don Quixote): to tilt at windmills.
v.i.
4. to move like a windmill.
5. (of a propeller) to turn by itself, unpowered, driven only by the force of the airstream.
v.t.
6. to cause to move like a windmill.
[1250–1300]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

windmill


Past participle: windmilled
Gerund: windmilling

Imperative
windmill
windmill
Present
I windmill
you windmill
he/she/it windmills
we windmill
you windmill
they windmill
Preterite
I windmilled
you windmilled
he/she/it windmilled
we windmilled
you windmilled
they windmilled
Present Continuous
I am windmilling
you are windmilling
he/she/it is windmilling
we are windmilling
you are windmilling
they are windmilling
Present Perfect
I have windmilled
you have windmilled
he/she/it has windmilled
we have windmilled
you have windmilled
they have windmilled
Past Continuous
I was windmilling
you were windmilling
he/she/it was windmilling
we were windmilling
you were windmilling
they were windmilling
Past Perfect
I had windmilled
you had windmilled
he/she/it had windmilled
we had windmilled
you had windmilled
they had windmilled
Future
I will windmill
you will windmill
he/she/it will windmill
we will windmill
you will windmill
they will windmill
Future Perfect
I will have windmilled
you will have windmilled
he/she/it will have windmilled
we will have windmilled
you will have windmilled
they will have windmilled
Future Continuous
I will be windmilling
you will be windmilling
he/she/it will be windmilling
we will be windmilling
you will be windmilling
they will be windmilling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been windmilling
you have been windmilling
he/she/it has been windmilling
we have been windmilling
you have been windmilling
they have been windmilling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been windmilling
you will have been windmilling
he/she/it will have been windmilling
we will have been windmilling
you will have been windmilling
they will have been windmilling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been windmilling
you had been windmilling
he/she/it had been windmilling
we had been windmilling
you had been windmilling
they had been windmilling
Conditional
I would windmill
you would windmill
he/she/it would windmill
we would windmill
you would windmill
they would windmill
Past Conditional
I would have windmilled
you would have windmilled
he/she/it would have windmilled
we would have windmilled
you would have windmilled
they would have windmilled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.windmill - a mill that is powered by the windwindmill - a mill that is powered by the wind  
milling machinery, grinder, mill - machinery that processes materials by grinding or crushing
2.windmill - generator that extracts usable energy from windswindmill - generator that extracts usable energy from winds
vane, blade - flat surface that rotates and pushes against air or water
generator - engine that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by electromagnetic induction
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
طَاحُونَةُ الهَوَاءطاحونَه هَوائِيَّه
větrný mlýn
vindmølle
tuulimylly
vjetrenjača
szélmalom
vindmylla
風車小屋
풍차
veterný mlyn
mlin na veter
väderkvarn
กังหันลม
değirmenyel değirmeni
cối xay gió

windmill

[ˈwɪndmɪl] Nmolino m de viento; (= toy) → molinete m
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

windmill

[ˈwɪndmɪl] nmoulin m à vent
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

windmill

nWindmühle f; (Brit: = toy) → Windrädchen nt; to tilt at windmills (fig)gegen Windmühlen(flügel) kämpfen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

windmill

[ˈwɪndˌmɪl] nmulino a vento
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

wind1

(wind) noun
1. (an) outdoor current of air. The wind is strong today; There wasn't much wind yesterday; Cold winds blow across the desert.
2. breath. Climbing these stairs takes all the wind out of me.
3. air or gas in the stomach or intestines. His stomach pains were due to wind.
verb
to cause to be out of breath. The heavy blow winded him.
adjective
(of a musical instrument) operated or played using air pressure, especially a person's breath.
ˈwindy adjective
a windy hill-top; a windy day; It's windy today.
ˈwindiness noun
ˈwindfall noun
1. an apple etc blown from a tree.
2. any unexpected gain or success.
ˈwindmill noun
a machine with sails that work by wind power, for grinding corn or pumping water.
ˈwindpipe noun
the passage for air between mouth and lungs.
windsurf, windsurfer, windsurfingwindˈwindscreen noun
(American ˈwindshield).
1. a transparent (usually glass) screen above the dashboard of a car.
2. a wall usually constructed out from the house wall to protect people on a patio or balcony from the wind.
ˈwindsock noun
a device for indicating the direction and speed of wind on an airfield.
windsurf (ˈwindsəːf) verb
to move across water while standing on a windsurfer.
ˈwindsurfer noun
1. (also sailboard) a board with a sail for moving across water with the aid of the wind.
2. the person controlling this board.
ˈwindsurfing noun
ˈwindswept adjective
exposed to the wind and showing the effects of it. windswept hair; a windswept landscape.
get the wind up
to become nervous or anxious. She got the wind up when she realized how close we were to the edge.
get wind of
to get a hint of or hear indirectly about.
get one's second wind
to recover one's natural breathing after breathlessness.
in the wind
about to happen. A change of policy is in the wind.
like the wind
very quickly. The horse galloped away like the wind.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

windmill

طَاحُونَةُ الهَوَاء větrný mlýn vindmølle Windmühle ανεμόμυλος molino de viento tuulimylly moulin à vent vjetrenjača mulino a vento 風車小屋 풍차 windmolen vindmølle wiatrak moinho de vento ветряная мельница väderkvarn กังหันลม değirmen cối xay gió 风车
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
References in periodicals archive ?
Only a few dozen outfits like Crowell's still exist in the Texas Panhandle, practicing the dying art of "windmilling" - fixing the old-style whirligigs that pump water from the aquifers.
Windmilling - the art of fixing old water windmills - is difficult and dangerous work.