revolve
Americanverb (used without object)
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revolves,
present (3rd person singular)
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revolved,
past participle, past
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revolving
present participle
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to move in a circular or curving course or orbit.
The earth revolves around the sun.
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to turn around or rotate, as on an axis.
The wheel revolves slowly.
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to proceed or occur in a round or cycle; come around again in the process of time; recur.
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to be revolved in the mind.
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to focus or center on.
verb
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to move or cause to move around a centre or axis; rotate
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(intr) to occur periodically or in cycles
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to consider or be considered
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(intr; foll by around or about) to be centred or focused (upon)
Juliet's thoughts revolved around Romeo
noun
Synonym Usage
See turn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revolvesimple
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revolvessimple
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have revolvedperfect
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has revolvedperfect
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am revolvingprogressive
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are revolvingprogressive
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is revolvingprogressive
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have been revolvingperfect progressive
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has been revolvingperfect progressive
Past
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revolvedsimple
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had revolvedperfect
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was revolvingprogressive
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were revolvingprogressive
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had been revolvingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of revolve
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English revolven, from Latin revolvere “to roll back,” equivalent to re- re- + volvere “to roll, turn round”
Explanation
When something revolves, it turns on an axis or in an orbit around something else. People who love you probably think the world revolves around you (but really, the earth revolves around the sun). Revolve comes from those useful Latin roots re- "again" or "back" and volvere "roll," as seen in evolution, involve, and lots of other familiar words. Picture a revolving door, and you can understand what it means to revolve, or turn in a circular motion.
Vocabulary lists containing revolve
Space Science (Astronomy) - Introductory
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Earth and the Solar System - Introductory
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Earth and Space 2: Space
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Some of our favorite memories here revolve around hosting college students and professional athletes for meals, conversation, and meaningful fellowship.”
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026
The hobbit calendar is not altogether separate from ours—we revolve around the same sun—but recorded time begins in Year One, when the hobbits arrived in the Shire by crossing the Brandywine River.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
The sound of anti-aircraft guns pierces the sky as conversations at the market revolve around rising prices and the coming winter.
From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026
Frenkel said its interest could revolve around how Guggenheim Investments, Walter’s asset management firm, booked revenue from its dealings with the insurers and the disclosures of the transactions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
I watched the world revolve as the car spun around and lurched back to the highway.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
The newly identified object orbits this brown dwarf, creating a remarkable arrangement in which a massive satellite circles an object that itself revolves around a star.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
The Rio Grande’s decline poses an existential threat to the town of Elephant Butte and nearby farms, where life revolves around the reservoir.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
A key sequence in “You Can See Everything” revolves around Holmes telling Fielder she has never told a lie, and his incredulous response.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
For all its fluff, it does occasionally show its teeth, even when much of the story revolves around women whose lives revolve around men.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Much of history revolves around this question: how does one convince millions of people to believe particular stories about gods, or nations, or limited liability companies?
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Part of the scheme allegedly revolved around Elite Model Management, run by John Casablancas, who was a friend of both Epstein’s and Trump’s.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
One of the most important revolved around the importance of meeting deadlines tied to the distance of orbit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
Any question marks over Nordqvist's captaincy had revolved around repeatedly pairing her two star English players together over the first two days.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Turkey's interests in Syria historically revolved around preventing a spillover of Kurdish fighters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
Many historians also credit him with at least one noteworthy contribution to astronomy—namely a universal model that put the planets in orbit around the sun, which in turn revolved around the earth.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
On Sept. 29, it arranged $30 billion in credit facilities, replacing a $5 billion revolving credit line, which works much like a corporate credit card.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
They are revolving around making the system work for the average voter.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
It argued the plan should focus on three key priorities - revolving around data, targets and investment.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
With the revolving door behind the plate in Smith’s absence, getting him back down the stretch and into the postseason was going to be key.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
It is really a triple system, two stars revolving around each other, and a third, Proxima Centauri, orbiting the pair at a discreet distance.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
