Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
sprocket

sprocket

11 7.6
A wheel with teeth that moves a chain to turn parts of a bike or machine
  • noun
  • /ˈsprɒkɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : piñón
  • The sprocket on my bicycle needs to be replaced because it started to wear out.
  • chain sprockets

I literally have a single sprocket and coaster breaks that hardly hardly.

Examples

  • And he hauled out a small sprocket for a bicycle.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Their use of chain drives with sprockets to power the propellers on their flying machines is another manifestation of that genius.

    Academic text (2003)

  • So pretty glad that my sprocket has stayed in the track.

  • I might put my sprocket back in there actually, because then it stays nice and clean.

  • Well, it picks them up from the sprocket.

    Torque (2004)

  • Or you need a sprocket for a child's bike and turn in one direction instead of another.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • You can line up the sprockets with those right there and they can see it wrapped around.

  • Now, no two bikes got the same chain-wear pattern... ...because no two sprockets are the same.

    Torque (2004)

  • We had to purchase a few sprockets in order and a chain in order to actually have the motor actuate the spinning motion of the of the rod itself.

  • The open chain drive clanks on its sprockets, and rumbling profoundly from its deepest interior, the machine is away.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

gear
vssprocket
180 2.9

A wheel with teeth that makes parts of a machine move

is narrower, meaning a toothed part that fits a chain or track
chainring
vssprocket
  • Specialized
2 6.4

A round metal gear on a bicycle that the chain moves around to turn the wheel

is broader, used for chain drive parts beyond bicycles
sprocket wheel
vssprocket
  • Specialized
6.1

A thin wheel with teeth that a chain fits on to turn parts like on a bicycle

is the same meaning but expressed as the shorter single word form
gear wheel
vssprocket
  • Specialized
3.5

A round wheel with teeth that fits together with another wheel to move parts or change speed

is made to engage a chain or track instead of meshing with another wheel
geared wheel
vssprocket
  • Specialized
6.3

A round wheel with teeth that fits another to change speed or direction

is built to work with other toothed wheels rather than fit a chain

Compounds

sprocket wheel
  • Specialized
6.1

A thin wheel with teeth that a chain fits on to turn parts like on a bicycle

Surface Forms

sprocket singular
sprockets plural

Etymology

Sprocket comes from an old English word sprocc meaning 'twig' or 'shoot', and is related to everyday words like sprout and sprig. So, think of a sprocket as a little 'twig' with teeth that a chain can catch, which explains why it is a toothed wheel that drives a machine.