Meanings
nounbalance wheel (plural balance wheels)
plural balance wheels
- The timekeeping device normally used in mechanical watches and small clocks, consisting of a wheel which oscillates due to a coiled spring.
A mantelpiece clock with rackety balance wheel makes the only sound.
2016, Ian McEwan, Nutshell, Vintage, pages 13–14
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna wheel that regulates the rate of movement in a machine; especially a wheel oscillating against the hairspring of a timepiece to regulate its beat
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Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan volant regulador
- volant reguladortimepiece mechanism
Chinese Cantonese 擺輪 /摆轮
- 擺輪 /摆轮 (baai² leon⁴)timepiece mechanism
Chinese Mandarin 擺輪 /摆轮
- 擺輪 /摆轮 (bǎilún)timepiece mechanism
Czech setrvačka, nepokoj
- setrvačkatimepiece mechanism
- nepokojtimepiece mechanism
Dutch onrust
- onrusttimepiece mechanism
Finnish liipotin
- liipotintimepiece mechanism
German Unruh, Steigerad
- Unruhtimepiece mechanism
- Steigeradtimepiece mechanism
Irish luascroth
- luascrothtimepiece mechanism
Italian bilanciere
- bilancieretimepiece mechanism
Polish balans, balansjer
- balanstimepiece mechanism
- balansjertimepiece mechanism
Russian пружи́на
- пружи́на (pružína)timepiece mechanism
Swedish oro
- orotimepiece mechanism
Turkish balans çarkı
- balans çarkıtimepiece mechanism
Ukrainian во́лос, волосо́к
- во́лос (vólos)timepiece mechanism
- волосо́к (volosók)timepiece mechanism
- пружи́нка (pružýnka)timepiece mechanism
Yiddish אומרו
- אומרו (umru)timepiece mechanism
Cite this entry
APA
balance wheel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20wheel
MLA
“balance wheel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20wheel. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “balance wheel,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/balance%20wheel.
Source: balance wheel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.