revolve

[ri-volv]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR revolve ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), re·volved, re·volv·ing.

to move in a circular or curving course or orbit: The earth revolves around the sun.

to turn around or rotate, as on an axis: The wheel revolves slowly.

to proceed or occur in a round or cycle; come around again in the process of time; recur.

to be revolved in the mind.

to focus or center on.

verb (used with object), re·volved, re·volv·ing.

to cause to turn around, as on an axis.

to cause to move in a circular or curving course, as about a central point.

to think about; consider.

Origin of revolve

1350–1400; Middle English revolven < Latin revolvere to roll back, equivalent to re- re- + volvere to roll, turn round

Related formsre·volv·a·ble, adjectivere·volv·a·bly, adverbun·re·volved, adjective

Can be confusedrevolve rotate¹

Synonyms for revolve

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR revolve ON THESAURUS.COM

1. orbit, circle. 2. See turn. 8. ponder, study.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for revolve

whirl, rotate, wheel, orbit, twist, gyrate, spin, roll, ponder, consider, deliberate, study, muse, reflect, meditate, ruminate, gyre

Examples from the Web for revolve

Contemporary Examples of revolve

Somehow, everything in the world has to revolve around men here, men and their parts.
What It Feels Like For a Girl in Iraq
Noor
November 6, 2014
In the 1980s and 1990s, blockbusters were star vehicles; now they revolve around brands (Marvel Comics) and concepts (vampires).
Is This the End of Arnold Schwarzenegger's Comeback?
Andrew Romano
March 30, 2014
“Prison has taught me that the world does not revolve around me,” he says.
The Party Monster Lives For the Applause: Michael Alig’s Second Act
Caitlin Dickson
February 28, 2014
Like the Colosseum, Jep both stands above and is a part of the grotesqueries that revolve around him.
The New Fellini: Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘The Great Beauty’
Jimmy So
November 18, 2013
And not all of them revolve around white sins or a dishonorable moment.
Matthew Cordle & the Online Confession Obsession
Anna Brand
September 13, 2013

Historical Examples of revolve

The dean paused to revolve the proposition, and then shook his head negatively.
The Channings
Mrs. Henry Wood
These rings acted as bearings on which the mast could revolve.
The Migrations of an American Boat Type
Howard I. Chapelle
The cogs and wheels of the machine began to revolve rapidly.
Philo Gubb Correspondence-School Detective
Ellis Parker Butler
Indeed, even while he was speaking the wheels of Fate had already begun to revolve.
The Missionary
George Griffith
But the empire had extended too far west to revolve about that distant pivot.
A Short History of Spain
Mary Platt Parmele

British Dictionary definitions for revolve

revolve

verb

to move or cause to move around a centre or axis; rotate

(intr) to occur periodically or in cycles

to consider or be considered

(intr ; foll by around or about) to be centred or focused (upon)Juliet's thoughts revolved around Romeo

noun

theatre a circular section of a stage that can be rotated by electric power to provide a scene change

Derived Formsrevolvable, adjectiverevolvably, adverb

Word Origin for revolve

C14: from Latin revolvere, from re- + volvere to roll, wind

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for revolve

late 14c., "to change direction, bend around, turn (the eyes) back," from Old French revolver and directly from Latin revolvere "roll back, unroll, unwind; happen again, return; go over, repeat," from re- "back, again" (see re-) + volvere "to roll" (see volvox). In 15c., "to turn over (in the mind or heart), meditate." Meaning "travel around a central point" first recorded 1660s (earlier "cause to travel in an orbit around a central point," mid-15c.). Related: Revolved; revolving.