Wheelslip

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A problem in starting or running a locomotive or train, where excess power supplied to the driven wheels causes them to turn against the rail, especially when the rails are slippery, without moving the train forward. uncountable

    "Near-synonym: wheelspin"

Example

More examples

"The traction motors are connected in three parallel groups of two in series, and the mid-points of each pair of motors are connected together; the mid-point connection is used in conjunction with relays to form a device which is sensitive to wheelslip, thus leading to an improvement in adhesion."

Etymology

From wheel + slip.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.