Sprocket

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -É’kɪt

Alternative forms

• splocket

Origin

Full definition of sprocket

Noun

1. A toothed wheel that enmeshes with a chain or other perforated band.
2. (usually in the plural) The tooth of such a wheel.
3. (architecture) A flared extension at the base of a sloped roof.
4. A placeholder name for an unnamed, unspecified, or hypothetical manufactured good or product.Suppose we have a widget factory that produces 100 widgets per year, and a sprocket factory that produces 200 sprockets per year.

Usage notes

Although sprockets are sometimes referred to as gears, there is a technical distinction between the two: sprockets interact with chains, whereas gears interact with other gears.

Synonyms

• (placeholder name) widget

Derived terms

• sprocket wheel