rotation
noun
ro·ta·tion
rō-ˈtā-shən 
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
b
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
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.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Dodgers’ rotation appears set for this series.
—
Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
Noir is a quaint coffee shop where white walls are a canvas for paintings by a rotation of local artists.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
He's also done an unbelievable job with the pitching staff, especially the starting rotation.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The singer sat down with Jordan North and Sian Welby, with North getting right to the heat of the matter with a question about which of the 12 new songs are in heavy rotation for Swift’s fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rotation
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2025
Noir is a quaint coffee shop where white walls are a canvas for paintings by a rotation of local artists.
—Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
He's also done an unbelievable job with the pitching staff, especially the starting rotation.
—Noah Camras, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
The singer sat down with Jordan North and Sian Welby, with North getting right to the heat of the matter with a question about which of the 12 new songs are in heavy rotation for Swift’s fiancé, NFL star Travis Kelce.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rotation
Cite this Entry
“Rotation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rotation. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rotation
noun
ro·ta·tion
rō-ˈtā-shən
1
a
: the act of rotating especially on an axis
b
: one complete turn
2
Medical Definition
rotation
noun
ro·ta·tion
rō-ˈtā-shən
: 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
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