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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

But as the removal vans rev up again in Downing Street, Burnham's arrival gives Labour a "second chance to make a first impression", according to one minister.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

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

“Let’s be respectful of the people who reside in those communities — don’t rev your engines, don’t do burnouts, try to show an element of decorum with this hobby,” he told The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

Your turn to rev the engine, turn on the jets.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

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

Chap ii, "The Social Person," pp. 66-98. 3d ed., rev. and enl.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park

"This rev. gentleman no doubt——" he proceeds, when he is quickly interrupted by the secretary, who jumps up and says, "Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, that is last year's syllabus you have in your hand."

From The Confessions of a Caricaturist, Vol. 2 by Harry Furniss

The Rev. Timothy E. Tyler of the First AME Church was among those urging the council to approve the change.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

After running for the nomination in 1984 and 1988, the Rev. Jesse Jackson sought to be a kingmaker in ’92.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

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

“The couples pledged to create families centered on God,” said Rev. Demian Dunkley, president of the church’s U.S.A. chapter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

But everyone can’t be like Bob, or Rev. McBride, or even Ruth McBride.

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

“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

On top of that, the electronics are not working properly, so the auto-blip on the gearbox, which revs the engine automatically to the right level on down change, doesn't work.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026

It may sound like you’re ripping revs from gear to gear—HHHHM, HHHuuum, Hummmmm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026

He revs up the lime-green truck and zips through.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

Showing off one truck, Kuniskis pumped his fist and revved the engine before a crowd of enthusiasts and content creators.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

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

Garvey shouted something to Edwin, and the engine revved louder.

From "Touching Spirit Bear" by Ben Mikaelsen

Residents have long complained about a proliferation of high-powered cars racing down the city’s major thoroughfares, peeling out and doing doughnuts, and drivers revving their engines into the early-morning hours.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

But rather than dialing anything back, the big players are just revving their engines more and more.

From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2026

There is one way, which company observers have said has been lacking since the Steve Jobs era: revving up Apple’s innovation engine, especially in artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

He posted a video of himself revving the engine of a brand new Ram pickup truck.

From Salon ● Aug. 27, 2026

The Berg sprang to life— lights flickering overhead and engines and machinery revving.

From "The Kill Order (Maze Runner, Book Four; Origin)" by James Dashner

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