Meaning & use
pawl
Last updated
a pivoted bar or lever designed to engage with the teeth of a ratchet wheel, allowing motion in only one direction.
See it in a sentence
The pawl clicked into place, preventing the winch from spinning backward under load.
A worn pawl can let a ratchet wrench slip instead of turning smoothly.
A note on using this word
Pawl is a mechanical engineering term almost always used together with 'ratchet,' describing the small catch that prevents backward movement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pawl”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.