rotate Hear it!

rotate Definition

ro·tate (rō′tāt′, rō tāt′)

intransitive verb, transitive verb -·tat′ed, -·tat′·ing

  1. to turn around or cause to turn around a center point or axis; revolve
  2. to go or cause to go in a regular and recurring succession of changes; take, or cause to take, turns to rotate crops

Etymology: < L rotatus, pp. of rotare, to turn < rota, wheel: see roll

adjective

shaped like a wheel, with radiating parts, as the corolla of some flowers

Etymology: < L rota, wheel + -ate

rotate Related Forms

ro′·tat·able (rō′tāt′ə bəl, rō tāt′-) adjective

rotate Synonyms

rotate

v.

  1. To turn around an axis

    pivot, twist, wheel, revolve; see turn 1.

  2. To alternate

    interchange, switch, take turns; see alternate 1, exchange 1.

rotate Usage Examples

Preposition: about

axis: The chair is mounted on a pivot so that the chair can rotate about the vertical axis.

Object

  • bezel: His an internal rotating bezel operated by the crown at 10.
  • presidency: The rotating presidency ensures that each country has at some point a special input into the EU.
  • turret: Destruction - Each character has his or her own uniquely deadly 360° rotating turret.
  • shaft: Introduction The roller chain is used to transmit motion between rotating shafts via sprockets mounted on the shafts.
  • blade: Rotary lawn mowers Back to top A rotary lawn mower cuts the grass using a rotating blade ( I kid you not ).
  • cylinder: Now rotate the inner cylinder back again ( slowly!

Preposition: at

  • rpm: The antenna rotated at 4 rpm and the transmissions broke through on every television set for miles around!
  • speed: These shapes are expected to occur when the nucleus is rotating at high speeds.

Preposition: through

degree: The detection pattern of 90 degrees with 12m range can be rotated through 180 degrees allowing flexible mounting of the unit.

Modifying Another Word

  • clockwise: Every time a round is played the first person to call rotates clockwise to the next available player.
  • counterclockwise: The spiral shape of both the dark boundary and the white cirrus suggests a storm system rotating counterclockwise.
  • anti-clockwise: I rotated anti-clockwise, and am right handed, either way I still ended up dizzy.
  • slowly: Under her hand, the pillar box rotated slowly.
  • anticlockwise: Almost like the touch screen was rotated slightly anticlockwise!
  • freely: At this stage the pedals may be freely rotated; the right pedal should be rotated to around the seven o'clock position.

Followed by an intransitive particle

around: Instead of putting the offset point at the player's feet, put it at the location you want the player to rotate around.

Followed by a transitive particle

around: The Salter's Edinburgh duck works by rotating around a long linkage spanned across wave crests.

Preposition: in

  • direction: Two rotary lobes rotate in opposite directions within a housing.
  • plane: The sound rotates in the horizontal plane, three squares away starting directly to the left of the listener.