Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A vehicle consisting of a frame mounted over a single wheel and usually propelled by pedals.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A vehicle with only one wheel: a form of velocipede.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A type of cycle that has only one wheel and is powered by pedals; it is most often used by acrobats.
  • verb To travel or move around by unicycle.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a vehicle with a single wheel that is driven by pedals
  • verb ride a unicycle

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[uni– + -cycle, perhaps on the model of bicycle.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

uni- +‎ cycle.

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Examples

  • But because a unicycle is always trying to fall over, most people cannot react quickly enough to control it, and no mechanical device had previously been able to.

    Councils of War 2002

  • But because a unicycle is always trying to fall over, most people cannot react quickly enough to control it, and no mechanical device had previously been able to.

    Councils of War 2002

  • One person questioned whether riding a unicycle is an appropriate activity for

    Rough-Terrain Unicycling 1997

  • Riding a unicycle is as precarious as it looks -- the "cone of balance," as Peck calls it, is extraordinarily precise.

    Rough-Terrain Unicycling 1997

  • His unicycle is built of top-quality titanium and tempered aluminum parts, special-ordered from a custom manufacturer, but Peck often rides wearing faded jeans, a stained sweatshirt, and leather work boots.

    Rough-Terrain Unicycling 1997

  • It looks like a tricked out motorcycle -- or a unicycle, that is.

    CNN Transcript Sep 24, 2009 2009

  • The idea is best described as unicycle meets skateboard, or maybe, scooter meets antique hiwheel meets bump meets ground meets emergency room meets no insurance meets my stupid back and leg are sore from that stupid device already meets falling into booze and drugs meets never making it in clown college.

    Introducing the Magic Wheel | Impact Lab 2007

  • I won't even go into some of the other attributes that the design team director built into the spy, such as the ability to bounce a type of ball for two planetary rotations while riding a contraption called a unicycle and performing a mating ritual called yodeling.

    Analog Science Fiction and Fact 2003

  • A show source told The Sun newspaper: "When Gill cut her bra off the judges couldn't believe it - nobody saw it coming, they thought the unicycle was the act!"

    Top Stories: BreakingNews.ie BreakingNews.ie / TCM 2010

  • A show source told The Sun newspaper: "When Gill cut her bra off the judges couldn't believe it - nobody saw it coming, they thought the unicycle was the act!"

    Femalefirst.co.uk - Celebrity Gossip + Lifestyle Magazine 2010

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