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
The song may be more uptempo than Wallen’s past smashes, but the arrangement is right in his wheelhouse, and the post-breakup messiness of the lyrics is a topic he’s ruminated on quite a bit over the course of his career.
—Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 21 May 2024
The main deck is also outfitted with another wheelhouse and an opening balcony that allows seafarers to take in the views from the indoor sofas.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for wheelhouse 
Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 21 May 2024
The main deck is also outfitted with another wheelhouse and an opening balcony that allows seafarers to take in the views from the indoor sofas.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 17 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for wheelhouse
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 29 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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