rotate

adjective

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ro·tate | \ ˈrō-ˌtāt

Definition of rotate

(Entry 1 of 2)

: having the parts flat and spreading or radiating like the spokes of a wheel rotate blue flowers

rotate

verb

ro·tate | \ ˈrō-ˌtāt

, especially British rō-ˈtāt \

rotated; rotating

Definition of rotate (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1a : to perform an act, function, or operation in turn

b : to pass or alternate in a series

2 : to turn about an axis or a center : revolve especially : to move in such a way that all particles follow circles with a common angular velocity about a common axis

transitive verb

1a : to cause to turn or move about an axis or a center

b : to cause (a plane region or line) to sweep out a volume or surface by moving around an axis so that each of its points remains at a constant distance from the axis generate a torus by rotating a circle about an external line

2 : to cause to grow in rotation rotate crops

3 : to cause to pass or act in a series : alternate

4 : to exchange (individuals or units) with others

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Examples of rotate in a Sentence

Verb As the gear rotates, it turns the other gears. The Earth rotates on its axis. The planets rotate around the sun. The software allows you to rotate images. Rotate the sheet of paper 90 degrees. The staff rotates the weekend shift. We rotate—she does the dishes one week; I do them the next. You should rotate your car's tires once a year.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Rotate pie plate about 15° (if the top of the pie is the 12 o’clock mark, turn it to 2 o’clock). — Rick Martinez, Bon Appetit, "BA's Best Blueberry Pie," 10 July 2017 Rotate steaks 45 degrees and cook another 2 minutes. — Milwaukee, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Grilled Kansas City Strip Steaks," 3 July 2017 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on each baking sheet. Bake two sheets at a time for 5 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. — Arkansas Democrat-gazette, Arkansas Online, "12 Christmas cookie recipes to spice up your holiday repertoire," 17 Dec. 2020 Taylor said the team would not rotate offensive lineman. — John Fay, The Enquirer, "Joe Mixon will miss his fourth straight game for the Cincinnati Bengals," 20 Nov. 2020 In all, the school now has 16 outdoor learning areas that can accommodate about half of the school’s population at one time, and all classes rotate to them. — Laura Groch, San Diego Union-Tribune, "North County School News, Nov. 19," 19 Nov. 2020 Auburn couldn’t rotate as many players, so the line started to get worn down. — Giana Han, al, "Grading Auburn midway through the 2020 season," 7 Nov. 2020 The victor will start with a domestic court docket and then rotate to general civil cases the next there is a vacancy on the bench. — Ramon Antonio Vargas | Staff Writer, NOLA.com, "In Civil District Court, 3 incumbents survive challenges; Judge Chris Bruno is out," 3 Nov. 2020 The students in the pod would spend one day at one family’s home under their supervision, then rotate to other families’ homes on other days. — Steve Schering, chicagotribune.com, "Remote learning in 5 Oak Park families: pods, extra costs, unmotivated kids. ‘None of this feels sustainable.’," 28 Sep. 2020 The Negroni Nuevo is available through Oct. 3, at which point the San Francisco Cocktail Club will rotate to another mezcal drink — the Prickly Pear, made with habanero, nopales and lime — from the Snug bar in Pacific Heights. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "New S.F. cocktail delivery service aims to take to-go drinks out of takeout containers," 21 Sep. 2020 As the plane had landed, a truck driving in the right lane struck the plane’s left wing, causing the plane to rotate, with the aircraft coming to rest in the grassy shoulder and ending up facing traffic. — Brett Clarkson, sun-sentinel.com, "Small plane makes emergency landing on Alligator Alley," 9 Sep. 2020

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