freewheel verb 4noun 2forms 3 verb4 •Of a gear, to continue spinning after disengagement. •Of a cyclist, to ride a bicycle without pedalling, e.g. downhill. •Of a motorist, to operate a motor vehicle which is coasting without power, e.g. downhill.Silently and gracefully I free-wheeled across the path of three juggernauts, [...] glided across the hard shoulder and came to rest halfway up a grass bank. — 1983 •(figurative) To operate free from constraints. noun2 •A device in a transmission that disengages the driveshaft from the driven shaft when the driven shaft rotates faster than the driveshaft. •The mode or state of operation thus produced: Synonym of neutral. formsfreewheeled · freewheeling · freewheels
