rotary

adjective ro·ta·ry \ ˈrō-tə-rē \

|Updated on: 6 Jun 2018

Examples: rotary in a Sentence

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

See rotary defined for English-language learners

See rotary defined for kids

Examples of rotary in a Sentence

the rotary action of the wheel

Recent Examples of rotary from the Web

Those not born with an Apple product attached to their thumbs might recognize his inspiration as the grandfather of the rotary dial.

— darryl levings, kansascity, "Kansas City has been dialed in to telephone innovations from the very beginning," 2 June 2018
Someone damaged a door lock to enter a car parked in the 300 block of Home Avenue and stole a Bosch rotary hammer, a Milwaukee Sawzall and a Bosch jigsaw valued at $1,105 between 11 a.m. and noon May 10.

— pioneer press, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Bellwood man charged with aggravated battery against Oak Park police officer," 18 May 2018
Most modern electronics, such as the electric engine, rely on some sort of rotary motion.

— ellen airhart, WIRED, "This Insect-Sized Flying Robot Is Powered by Lasers," 15 May 2018
The interface is elegant in its simplicity and is controlled by a rotary knob located within easy reach of the driver and front-seat passenger on the center console.

— michael simari, Car and Driver, "2018 Audi A6," 22 Mar. 2018
Sheboygan, Wisconsin, police said they were called out to a rotary intersection at around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

— kaitlyn schwers, kansascity, "Kids fell out of dad's van but he kept going – he said he didn't know, cops say | The Kansas City Star," 4 May 2018
At Glenner Town Square, all the phones have rotary dials and the TV sets are black and white.

— pam kragen, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Memory village for Alzheimer's patients set to open," 23 Apr. 2018
The business groups back a series of ramp and rotary changes that could cost hundreds of millions of dollars, coupled with a promise to replace the Great Depression-era bridges.

— jon chesto, BostonGlobe.com, "Cape Cod businesses fed up with bridge work," 19 Apr. 2018
When the bulldozers have come within six feet or less of the road, the rotary blowers can begin their work, and help to at last reveal the long buried asphalt.

— angela fritz, Washington Post, "This towering ‘snow canyon’ is carved into one of the snowiest places on Earth," 18 Apr. 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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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