Windmill
noun
1.
any of various machines for grinding, pumping, etc., driven by the force of the wind acting upon a number of vanes or sails.
2.
(loosely) a wind generator; wind plant.
3.
Aeronautics. a small air turbine with blades, like those of an airplane propeller, exposed on a moving aircraft and driven by the air, used to operate gasoline pumps, radio apparatus, etc.
4.
an imaginary opponent, wrong, etc. (in allusion to Cervantes’ Don Quixote):
to tilt at windmills.
verb (used with or without object)
5.
Aeronautics. (of a propeller engine or turbojet engine) to rotate or cause to rotate solely under the force of a passing airstream.
noun
1.
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.
the set of vanes or sails that drives such a mill
3.
(Brit) Also called whirligig. 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.
a small air-driven propeller fitted to a light aircraft to drive auxiliary equipment Compare ram-air turbine
6.
an informal name for helicopter
7.
an informal name for propeller (sense 1)
verb
8.
to move or cause to move like the arms of a windmill
9.
an informal name for accommodation bill
10.
(intransitive) (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
see: tilt at windmills
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