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• rev
  rev

  noun

  a revolution (in an engine or the like).
• rev.
  rev.

  abbreviation

  revenue.
• Rev.
  Rev.

  abbreviation

  Revelation.

rev

¹ American  

[rev] / rɛv /

noun

revs plural

1. a revolution (in an engine or the like).

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verb (used with object)

revved, revving

1. to accelerate sharply the speed of (an engine or the like) (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

revved, revving

1. (of an engine) to accelerate; become revved (often followed byup ).

verb phrase

1. rev up to increase in strength or accelerate sharply.

   The economy is beginning to rev up.

rev. ² American  

abbreviation

1. revenue.

2. reverse.

3. review.

4. reviewed.

5. revise; revised.

6. revision.

7. revolution.

8. revolving.

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Rev. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Bible. Revelation.

2. Reverend.

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rev. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. revenue

2. reverse(d)

3. review

4. revise(d)

5. revision

6. revolution

7. revolving

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Rev. ² British  

abbreviation

1. Bible Revelation

2. Reverend

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rev ³ British  

/ rɛv /

noun

1. revolution per minute

   the engine was doing 5000 revs

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verb

1. (often foll by up) to increase the speed of revolution of (an engine)

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• revs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of rev

First recorded in 1900–05; short for revolution

Explanation

Rev your engine at a stoplight if you want to race the car next to you. On second thought, don’t — to rev is to crank the engine without going anywhere. Also, a rev is one complete rotation of a motor. Rev, as a verb or a noun, is a shortened form of revolution. As a noun, it’s a rotation of the motor or the number of rotations in a minute. The word has been around since the early 20th century, following the invention of the automobile. Rev can be used for any internal combustion engine, but it's most often used for the zooming sound of a car engine. Rev and revolution come from the Late Latin revolutionem, "a revolving."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rev rev. Rev. revs revved revving

I’d wager that most people seldom sit by themselves and ponder what makes them tick, what causes their engines to rev, or why they like that one specific thing.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2026

But the signals so far suggest an IRS that’s scaling back high-end enforcement just as it was starting to rev it up.

From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026

Hollywood may simply be sitting out Cannes in 2026, only to rev back into action next year.

From Barron's ● May 11, 2026

Mr. Lai has proposed to rev Taiwan’s defense spending to about 3.3% of the economy, with a nearly $40 billion infusion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026

Sometimes he’d wander outside to look at his car, rev the engine, play with the mirrors.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

In Anarchism and Other Essays, 3rd rev. ed.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 15, 2022

Valuable as a short introduction to the subject is Sean Wilentz, “Society, Politics, and the Market Revolution, 1815–1848,” in The New American History, rev. and exp. ed., ed.

From Slate ● Jul. 9, 2015

A journalist still lingers in the twilight zone, along with the trained nurse, the embalmer, the rev. clergy and the great majority of engineers.

From Time Magazine Archive

Perhaps the rev. editor of the new edition of Taylor's Works can explain the reason of this omission.

From Notes and Queries, Vol. IV, Number 101, October 4, 1851 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. by Various

It was bad enough, Toby," rev. gentleman said, "and might have been worse.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, November 4th 1893 by Various

Sullivan over a fund-raising ad for the Rev. Martin Luther King that had appeared in the New York Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Along with his Unification Church, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon built a political propaganda empire, which had tentacles all over Washington, D.C., at one time.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

Dillon knows this—as do the two men ordained with him on Saturday, the Rev. Patrick O’Brien and the Rev. Nicholas Waldron.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

Weekly attendance suffered during the pandemic, but the congregation is seeing an uptick in young families, says the Rev. Alfred Bradley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

One morning in Sunday school Richie raised his hand and asked Rev. Owens, “Is Jesus white?”

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

Alternative producers should curtail supply to prevent a glut as the Gulf revs back up.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

“We now model May-qtr revs above the high-end of guidance, with bias to the upside on continued pricing tailwinds,” Weathers wrote.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Styles’ submission to the beat on “Kiss All the Time” will be difficult to maintain as the pop-star machinery revs inevitably to life behind it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2026

But the revs you hear, and therefore the reality you can faithfully report, is completely artificial.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

He revs the engine, A cloud of blue smoke From the tailpipe, And cuts it off.

From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto

Alibaba on Wednesday saw its best single share-price gain in 10 months, as the broader Chinese tech sector revved higher after missing the rally propelling U.S.,

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

The funds enjoyed popularity in 2023 and 2024, when high interest rates revved returns on the loans they make to below-investment-grade companies.

From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026

Occasionally, its operators revved its engine until the tires burned out, which sent gouts of flame and plumes of foul white smoke into the scorching air to block our view of the Washington Monument.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

The force said no incidents of concern were noticed but numerous vehicles' engines were revved as officers ran past.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

He quick-stepped to the engine and revved the throttle.

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

"You can do this" is the Daily Mirror's pep-talk headline, embedding a photo of captain Harry Kane and star goal scorer Jude Bellingham, head to head, energetically revving each other up.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

Even more critically, it is the company’s first test of whether enthusiasts will accept a car carrying the brand name but not the revving, powerful, combustion engine that has defined its legacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

SpaceX isn’t the only AI play revving up for an IPO.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

"Don't stand too close to the fire," they warn on FYA, a deliciously dark serving of Jersey club music, full of revving synths and distorted beats.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

When we heard the sounds of Jeeps revving up, we fell on our knees, cheering.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

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