wheelhouse
noun
wheel·house
ˈ(h)wēl-ˌhau̇s 
plural wheelhouses
1
: pilothouse
Looking out at the all-but-empty bay from the wheelhouse of the new 28-foot research boat …—
Bill Nemitz
Bill NemitzHe climbed a rickety rope ladder to the ship's deck, then another five flights of stairs to the wheelhouse.—Daniel Machalaba
Daniel Machalaba2
: a place or center of control or leadership (as in an organization)
But while there was momentary calm in the wheelhouse, there was still a real question whether anyone was really in command of the administration's foreign-policy machinery.—David Gelman et al.
David Gelman et al.3
US
a
baseball
: the section of the strike zone where it is easiest for the batter to hit the ball well
The home run came on a 3–2 pitch. [Danny] Graves tried to get Jenkins with a sinker. "It was right in his wheelhouse," Graves said.—John Fay
John Fay
b
: an area that matches a person's skills or expertise
… he was right in his wheelhouse—politics is where [Stephen] Colbert soars.—Adam Chitwood
Adam ChitwoodExamples of wheelhouse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Playing Captain Edward John Smith, Hill showcased a chilling combination of shock and guilt as water gushed into the ship's wheelhouse.
—Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 May 2024
During the trial, defense attorneys acknowledged Boylan jumped off the ship after making a mayday call but said flames were 15 feet high and the wheelhouse had filled with smoke.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Boylan had been a captain for 34 years but failed to appoint an overnight watch, ignoring the Certificate of Inspection requirements hanging in his own wheelhouse.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
All three rules are squarely within EPA’s regulatory wheelhouse and grounded in explicit statutory authority.
—Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024
And the August 2014 death of a tugboat master when his crane barge hit the Florida Avenue lift bridge in New Orleans and the crane’s mast fell onto the wheelhouse, crushing him.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
But while opera may not be Bey’s wheelhouse, per se, she would not be lost at sea.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
For Hollar, who had served as Cardinal’s CFO since May 2020 and previously been CFO of Tenneco, Inc., management’s bold emphasis on value creation might have been something to be expected within the wheelhouse of a veteran CFO ’s repertoire.
—Jack Sweeney, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
An Olivia Rodrigo show is squarely in the Julie wheelhouse.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
Juliana Kim, NPR, 5 May 2024
During the trial, defense attorneys acknowledged Boylan jumped off the ship after making a mayday call but said flames were 15 feet high and the wheelhouse had filled with smoke.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024
Boylan had been a captain for 34 years but failed to appoint an overnight watch, ignoring the Certificate of Inspection requirements hanging in his own wheelhouse.
—Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
All three rules are squarely within EPA’s regulatory wheelhouse and grounded in explicit statutory authority.
—Patrick Parenteau, The Conversation, 1 May 2024
And the August 2014 death of a tugboat master when his crane barge hit the Florida Avenue lift bridge in New Orleans and the crane’s mast fell onto the wheelhouse, crushing him.
—USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
But while opera may not be Bey’s wheelhouse, per se, she would not be lost at sea.
—Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
For Hollar, who had served as Cardinal’s CFO since May 2020 and previously been CFO of Tenneco, Inc., management’s bold emphasis on value creation might have been something to be expected within the wheelhouse of a veteran CFO ’s repertoire.
—Jack Sweeney, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
An Olivia Rodrigo show is squarely in the Julie wheelhouse.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wheelhouse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Wheelhouse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wheelhouse. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
wheelhouse
noun
wheel·house
-ˌhau̇s
1
2
: the place of control or leadership (as in an organization)
3
: an area that matches a person's skills or expertise
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