rev

¹ American  

[rev] / rɛv /

noun

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)

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

To support its policy objectives, China set a fiscal deficit target of around 4% of GDP, in line with last year’s record deficit target, giving policymakers ample room to rev up government spending if needed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026

"When our backs are against the wall or we're going well, the crowd here really does rev you up and it helps because you are blowing," said Heyes.

From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025

"We just heard this squeal, the rev of an engine and a huge, loud impact," Kimberly Stricklen, a visitor to New Orleans, told Reuters.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2025

And so far, he has not been able to rev himself up to campaign very much.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2024

Inside the ferry’s underbelly, the cars rev their engines and roll forward.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

Related Words

• appoint
• come up with
• create
• enact
• establish
• inaugurate
• initiate
• install
• introduce
• launch
• organize
• set up