Meanings
verbbreak upon the wheel (third-person singular simple present breaks upon the wheel, present participle breaking upon the wheel, simple past broke upon the wheel, past participle broken upon the wheel)
present singular third person breaks upon the wheel · participle present breaking upon the wheel · past broke upon the wheel · participle past broken upon the wheel
- To execute using a breaking wheel.
For his rapacity, the guardsman was broken upon the wheel.
2006, Roger Ekirch, At Day's Close, page 63
Cite this entry
APA
break upon the wheel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20upon%20the%20wheel
MLA
“break upon the wheel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20upon%20the%20wheel. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “break upon the wheel,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/break%20upon%20the%20wheel.
Source: break upon the wheel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.