wheels are turning

wheels are turning phrase: progress is currently being made with respect to an ongoing process or other matter.

Phrase

wheels are turning or the wheels are turning

(idiomatic) Progress is currently being made with respect to an ongoing process or other matter.
- The transfer wheels are turning a bit faster as the European window comes closer and closer to being slammed shut.2013 January 29, Avi Creditor, “Soccer: Closing transfer window could have impact on Americans Abroad”, in Sports Illustrated, retrieved 07 Jan 2022
- As you read this, bureaucratic wheels are turning to permit a towering three-block-long complex of 1,586 apartments to arise in front of Pier 40.2016 February 5, George Capsis, “A Hospital or Condos?”, in WestView News, retrieved 07 Jan 2022
(idiomatic) Considerable thinking or other cognitive activity is occurring.
- I don't know what thoughts are going through his little mind, but I'm sure the wheels are turning.1982 December 30, Marguerite Kelly, “Aggressive 4-Year-Old”, in Washington Post, retrieved 07 Jan 2022
- But now, eight years after the Mandela election, the wheels are turning again, ideas are coming.2002 October 16, Douglas Rodgers, “Birth of a nation”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 07 Jan 2022

"[T]his decision will reassure the public and the international community that our justice system is working, albeit the wheels are turning slowly."2017 November 21, Colin Perkel, “4 Grenada officers charged with manslaughter in 2011 beating death of Toronto man”, in The Star, Canada...
"When he's quiet, that's when he's at his best, because his wheels are turning," said Kellie Wasko, his deputy.2014 March 15, Erica Goode, “After 20 Hours in Solitary, Colorado’s Prisons Chief Wins Praise”, in New York Times, retrieved 07 Jan 2022:

What does wheels are turning mean?: Wheels are turning means progress is currently being made with respect to an ongoing process or other matter.
How do you use wheels are turning in a sentence?: "[T]his decision will reassure the public and the international community that our justice system is working, albeit the wheels are turning slowly."
What part of speech is wheels are turning?: Wheels are turning is a phrase.

Adapted from Wiktionary: wheels are turning (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this entry: “wheels are turning.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/wheels_are_turning. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.