Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
pulley

pulley

23 3.4
A wheel with a groove that a rope moves on to lift things or change the direction of a pull
  • noun
  • /ˈpʌli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : polea
  • He attached the rope to the pulley to change the direction of the force needed to lift the load.
  • belt-and-pulley
  • pulley system
  • winch pulley

So this rope is going around another pulley and it's fixed to the ceiling.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • A tripod and winch pulley system was used to raise and lower materials into the work area.

    Academic text (2003)

  • I tried to set up this pulley all morning, but it didn't work.

    127 Hours (2010)

  • That is a pulley and that is a mass.

  • And so if I line it up again with the red mark on the pulley there, then that should be good.

  • It's really heavy, but it's on a pulley system right over here, which I should probably not mess with.

  • This pulley system must run throughout the entire castle.

    Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost (2019)

  • We could just see if it's going to work with the wooden pulley attached and screwed together.

  • A cable was wound around the pulley, routed up the finger, and attached to its tip.

    Academic text (1994)

  • FACTORY - DAY Men and pulleys hoist a big "F" up the side of the building.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • With a clever system of lines and pulleys, he could extract a half-ton body without any butchering.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

block
vspulley
  • Specialized
15 6.8

A wheel with a groove that a rope runs through

is the general simple machine used alone to change force direction or lift
pulley-block
vspulley
  • Specialized
7.3

A wheel with a groove that a rope runs in to lift things or change the rope's direction

is the same device but written as a hyphenated compound
pulley block
vspulley
  • Specialized
4.2

A wheel with a groove for a rope that helps lift or move heavy things

is the same device but written as two words

Compounds

idler pulley
  • Specialized
8.3

A small wheel on a shaft that presses against a belt to keep it tight

idle pulley
  • Specialized
7.7

A wheel on a shaft that guides and tightens a belt

pulley block
  • Specialized
4.2

A wheel with a groove for a rope that helps lift or move heavy things

pulley-block
  • Specialized
7.3

A wheel with a groove that a rope runs in to lift things or change the rope's direction

How Complex

rigging
  • Specialized
26 6.3
tackle
  • Specialized
7 7.3
block and tackle
  • Specialized
1 4.2
pulley
  • Specialized
23 3.4
rope
614 1.0

Surface Forms

pulley singular
pulleys plural

Etymology

Pulley is easy to remember because it connects to the simple verb pull: a pulley is a wheel with a rope that helps you 'pull' or lift heavy things more easily. So thinking of pull plus a wheel explains why a pulley changes the rope's direction and makes lifting easier.