rotor

noun

ro·​tor ˈrō-tər 

1

a

: a part that revolves in a stationary part

a brake rotor

b

: the rotating member of an electrical machine

2

: an assembly of rotating blades that supplies lift or stability for a rotorcraft

Examples of rotor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Archer has released video footage of the first flight of its Midnight eVTOL with a pilot at the controls, though the aircraft rolled down a runway to take off rather than using its rotors to lift it vertically. —New Atlas, 3 June 2025

Porsche fits 6-piston calipers to 14.8-inch front rotors (complemented with 4-piston calipers on the rear), but traditional hydraulic brakes are only part of the equation. —Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025

Eight rotors, powered by 8 electric motors, are mounted on four arms. —Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 9 May 2025

But on the whole—clerics dressed in red and white and world leaders in black, the coffin borne out of the basilica in a gravid procession, the mingled sounds of tolling bells and helicopter rotors—the proceedings were very familiar. —Paul Elie, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

contraction of rotator

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing rotor

• tilt-rotor

Rhymes for rotor

• boater
• floater
• motor
• voter
• locomotor
• psychomotor
• servomotor
• vasomotor
• oculomotor
• sensorimotor
• premotor
• promoter

Kids Definition

rotor

noun

ro·​tor ˈrōt-ər 

1

: a part that rotates in a stationary part (as in an electrical machine)

2

: a complete system of rotating blades that support a helicopter in flight