: having the parts flat and spreading or radiating like the spokes of a wheel
rotate blue flowers
rotated; rotating
1
a
: 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
1
a
: 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
Synonyms
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
Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Each band did a three- to four-song set before rotating through the lineup two more times while changing up the order.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
The weather service said supercells — large thunderstorms with deep and persistent rotating updrafts that look like tall storm clouds with anvils or elongated clouds at the top — are possible and could produce all types of severe weather.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Come explore its permanent and rotating exhibitions, which have spotlighted international artists such as Edvard Munch and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Don’t forget there's also daily rotating regional oysters on the half shell.
—Jillian Dara, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Then, as on Saturday, Joel’s grand piano periodically rotated on the stage to afford the audience on either side of the packed stadium a better vantage point.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Featuring two rotating host– New York Times bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones and renowned YouTube influencer Franny Arrieta– the series is Modern Health and Hana Kuma’s creative brainchild for multicultural storytelling.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
The twin can be displayed on a screen or in virtual reality as a three-dimensional model that can be enlarged, rotated, and examined by a team of experts.
—Steve Levine, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Verb
If temperatures climb to 87 degrees, or workers are made to work near hot equipment, employers would be mandated to take additional safety precautions to either cool the broader work site, allocate more breaks, rotate out workers or make other adjustments.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
Each band did a three- to four-song set before rotating through the lineup two more times while changing up the order.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 17 Apr. 2024
The weather service said supercells — large thunderstorms with deep and persistent rotating updrafts that look like tall storm clouds with anvils or elongated clouds at the top — are possible and could produce all types of severe weather.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024
Come explore its permanent and rotating exhibitions, which have spotlighted international artists such as Edvard Munch and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.
—Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Apr. 2024
Don’t forget there's also daily rotating regional oysters on the half shell.
—Jillian Dara, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Then, as on Saturday, Joel’s grand piano periodically rotated on the stage to afford the audience on either side of the packed stadium a better vantage point.
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Featuring two rotating host– New York Times bestselling author Luvvie Ajayi Jones and renowned YouTube influencer Franny Arrieta– the series is Modern Health and Hana Kuma’s creative brainchild for multicultural storytelling.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
The twin can be displayed on a screen or in virtual reality as a three-dimensional model that can be enlarged, rotated, and examined by a team of experts.
—Steve Levine, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rotate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rotate
Cite this Entry
“Rotate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotate. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share