Etymology From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
A machine which translates linear motion of wind to rotational motion by means of adjustable vanes called sails.
Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
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The building or structure containing such machinery.
There was once a windmill and a baker's shop in the middle of Rabbitland. Three rabbits, Rodney, Rudolph and Rosie lived in the windmill.1984, Hayden McAllister, Funny-bunny bedtime stories:
The home of the high-spirited French can-can has been laid temporarily low after the sails of the red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge, the most celebrated cabaret in Paris, tumbled inexplicably to the ground in the early hours.2024 April 25, Jon Henley, “Moulin Rouge windmill sails collapse in Paris”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
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Colloquial, Proscribed A wind turbine, a device for converting wind power into electricity.
“I never understood wind. You know, I know windmills very much. They’re noisy. They kill the birds. You want to see a bird graveyard? Go under a windmill someday. You’ll see more birds than you’ve ever seen in your life.”2019 December 24, Richard Luscombe, quoting Donald Trump, “‘I never understood wind’: Trump goes on bizarre tirade against wind turbines”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
“The other thing I say to Europe: we’ve – we will not allow a windmill to be built in the United States. They’re killing us. They’re killing the beauty of our scenery.”2025 August 3, Adam Gabbatt, quoting Donald Trump, “‘He has trouble completing a thought’: bizarre public appearances again cast doubt on Trump’s mental acuity”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
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A child's toy consisting of vanes mounted on a stick that rotate when blown by a person or by the wind.
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Ball games, Basketball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A dunk where the dunker swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball through the hoop.
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Ball games, Baseball, Games, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A pitch where the pitcher swings his arm in a circular motion before throwing the ball.
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Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A guitar move where the strumming hand mimics a turning windmill.
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Dance, Dancing, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports A breakdancing move in which the dancer rolls their torso continuously in a circular path on the floor, across the upper chest, shoulders and back, while twirling the legs in a V shape in the air.
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Any of various muscle exercises in which a large deal of the body makes a great circle, typically one where a kettlebell is raised overhead and the torso is rotated to the other side with the hand reaching its foot (hitting the core, glutes, hamstrings, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids and rotator cuffs) but sometimes even a windshield wiper.
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Any of various large papilionid butterflies of the genus Byasa, the wings of which resemble the vanes of a windmill.
Figuratively An imaginary enemy, but presented as real.
to fight windmills
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The act of windmilling.
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Board games, Chess, Games A tactic in which a piece repeatedly gains material, while simultaneously creating an inescapable series of alternating direct and discovered checks.
Etymology From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla. (imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.
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To rotate with a sweeping motion.
She ran down the hill, windmilling her arms with glee.
The main thing now was to find the steering wheel. At first, Billy windmilled his arms, hoping to find it by luck.1969, Kurt Vonnegut, chapter 2, in Slaughterhouse-Five, New York: Dial, published 2005, page 59:
2 more examples
True to her word, her hips windmilled in a frenzy.1999, Jon Sharpe, Texas Hellion:
As the Pirate Captain strained at the ham, the whale began to spasm and buck about in the water. Its tail thrashed wildly up and down. Its flippers windmilled in the air uselessly.2005, Gideon Defoe, The Pirates!: in an adventure with Ahab, page 140:
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To (become disengaged and) rotate freely.
Of a rotating part of a machine
The axle broke and the wheel windmilled in place briefly before careening through the wall.
Of a propeller or turbine rotor Of a rotating part of a machine
The stern dropped just as the captain began to get his control room crew to react to orders again. His head struck an instrument console. What slim hopes his crew had died with him. The Politovskiy was falling backwards, her propeller windmilling the wrong way as she slid to the bottom of the sea.1984, Tom Clancy, “The Eighth Day: Friday, 10 December”, in The Hunt for Red October, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, page 195:
When he went to switch on his rotary engine again, the Le Rhone refused to pick up. Nothing happened! The propeller simply windmilled in the slip stream. Garros knew immediately what was wrong and cursed himself for his imbecility.2000, Walter J. Boyne, Philip Handleman, Brassey's Air Combat Reader, page 18:
2 more examples
The propeller windmilled in front of them. Creede tried to start the engine. It growled like something angry, died away. "We're ... gonna have to ... ride this thing ... to the ground."2004, Deborah Bedford, If I Had You:
[…] the propeller blade on number-four engine windmilled in the air stream. "I wasn't too concerned about it, really," recalls Butchart. "B-29 engines are not all that dependable."2006, James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, page 134:
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Slang To move in order to rotate the penis in a circle (similar to the rotation of a windmill).