rotation

noun

ro·​ta·​tion rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio)
1
a(1)
: the action or process of rotating on or as if on an axis or center
(2)
: the act or an instance of rotating something
b
: one complete turn : the angular displacement required to return a rotating body or figure to its original orientation
2
a
: return or succession in a series
rotation of the seasons
3
: the turning of a body part about its long axis as if on a pivot
4
: a game of pool in which all 15 object balls are shot in numerical order
5
: the series of pitchers on a baseball team who regularly start successive games in turn
rotational
rō-ˈtā-shnəl How to pronounce rotation (audio)
-shə-nᵊl
adjective

Examples of rotation in a Sentence

the rotation of the Earth around its axis the rotation of the Moon around the Earth The Earth makes one rotation every day. Alfalfa and corn are planted in rotation. the rotation of the job of club president The car needs a tire rotation. See More
Recent Examples on the Web And what does that rotation have to do with the direction of time? Jennifer Ouellette and Sean M. Carroll, Ars Technica, 24 Nov. 2023 Hopefully, this tiara makes it into Kate’s regular rotation, along with the Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot and the Lotus Flower, so there will be other opportunities. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 22 Nov. 2023 The zipper pull, strap, and stitching are all nicely coordinated, adding up to a bag that wouldn’t look out of place in your everyday rotation. Rena Behar, Travel + Leisure, 20 Nov. 2023 The Lakers got positive contributions from each of the main eight players in coach Darvin Ham’s rotation. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023 Fall is the off-season, when the trellises are bare, but recently, her farming team has been adding winter barley, a relatively newer crop in the world of beer, to their rotation, preparing barley seeds by the bucketful. Melina Walling, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023 Using non-clumping litter may result in odors, smearing of waste and soggy litter on the sides of the litter box, or jamming in the rotation mechanism. Katherine Alex Beaven, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 Perhaps that is why a lot of launches bombard people through all media avenues in a constant rotation. Susan Johnston, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023 Advertisement Instead of being a cog in a rotation of oaks that included Nathan Mensah, Keshad Johnson and Aguek Arop a season ago, LeDee is the front-and-center wrecking ball. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rotation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Time Traveler
The first known use of rotation was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near rotation

Cite this Entry

“Rotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotation. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

rotation

noun
ro·​ta·​tion rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio)
1
a
: the act of rotating especially on an axis
b
: one complete turn
2
rotational
-shnəl How to pronounce rotation (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

Medical Definition

rotation

noun
ro·​ta·​tion rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio)
: the action or process of rotating on or as if on an axis or center
specifically : the turning of a body part about its long axis as if on a pivot
rotation of the head to look over the shoulder
rotational adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on rotation

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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