rotary

adjective ro·ta·ry \ ˈrō-tə-rē \

Updated on: 29 Mar 2018

Definition of rotary

1 a : turning on an axis like a wheel

b : taking place about an axis

rotary motion

2 : having an important part that turns on an axis

rotary cutter

3 : characterized by rotation

4 : of, relating to, or being a press in which paper is printed by rotation in contact with a curved printing surface attached to a cylinder

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Examples of rotary in a Sentence

the rotary action of the wheel

Recent Examples of rotary from the Web

There is a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the steering column that has setting for 2WD, Automatic, 4WD High or 4WD Low, which is a low-range setting for serious off-road driving.

— g. chambers williams iii, star-telegram, "Chevrolet’s 2018 Suburban looks great with the Z71 Midnight Edition package | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 24 Mar. 2018
In Montgomery, in December of 1955, the cutting edge of communications technology was rotary dial telephones and mimeograph machines.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Parkland kids are rewriting the playbook," 23 Mar. 2018
Use a rotary punch and metal letter stamps to monogram them for a personalized touch.

— lauren smith, House Beautiful, "15 Homemade Mother's Day Gifts for the Best Mom Ever," 20 Mar. 2018
Then, use a rotary tiller to thoroughly till the soil until there are no large clumps or hard-packed areas.

— joseph truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Plant Grass Seed for a New Lawn," 12 Mar. 2018
Pedals are inspired by his drum kit, too, while rotary dials mirror electric guitars.

— Fox News, "Jaguar built an amazing custom car for Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain," 8 Mar. 2018
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the host of the Laugh Track column, a man who invented the rotary cell phone ...

— michael k. mcintyre, cleveland.com, "Shawn Wayans, Tommy Davidson, David Alan Grier bring 'Off Color Comedy' to Hard Rock Live," 8 Mar. 2018
There are no cameras, no intercoms, and the only phone — beige with rotary dial — hasn’t worked for months.

— scott craven, azcentral, "Grand Canyon Caverns: Arizona's deepest, darkest hotel room," 5 Mar. 2018
Some campuses are starting to rely on outside help, taking donations from families, neighborhood businesses and local rotary clubs.

— tiffany hsu, New York Times, "Threat of Shootings Turns School Security Into a Growth Industry," 4 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rotary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rotary

Medieval Latin rotarius, from Latin rota wheel

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1704

See Words from the same year

rotary

noun

Definition of rotary

plural rotaries

1 : a rotary machine

2 : a road junction formed around a central circle about which traffic moves in one direction only — called also circle, traffic circle

See rotary defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of rotary from the Web

With roundabouts, drivers approaching to enter the flow of traffic yield to cars already in the roundabout, but rotaries usually have two to three lanes with outside lane that allows cars to merge right away.

— monroe trombly, Cincinnati.com, "Northside, are you ready for a roundabout?," 12 Sep. 2017
Then firefighters used a rotary saw to cut just above the kitten’s whereabouts, and carefully knocked away loose bricks to free it.

— brian whitehead, Orange County Register, "Watch firefighters rescue kitten trapped in wall in Santa Ana," 30 May 2017
Jaguza Children Ministries returns to Medina Sunrise Rotary: Jaguza means Rejoice, Allan Kizito, Executive Director of Jaguza Children Ministries told Sunrise rotary.

— 'sam' boyer/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Welcoming butterflies and other pollinators to the farm: Whit & Whimsey," 23 June 2017
Due to Eno's efforts, things such as speed limits, right-of-way rules at intersections and rotaries, pavement markings, one way streets and turn signals have been codified to law.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Valley Edition," 5 June 2017