revolve
Americanverb (used without object)
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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
Related Words
See turn.
Other Word Forms
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.
While neither of the “Devil Wears Prada” movies revolve around Christianity, the invocation of the devil taps into an older moral rhetoric.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
Given that most of the longer-term revenue targets for AMD revolve around its GPUs, Moore said he thinks investors will continue to look for signs of improvements on the GPU front.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
If they do consider senior living, which many don’t, everything should revolve around those two goals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
“It’s also so refreshing to see a woman whose life doesn’t revolve around a man and relationships,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
The world does not revolve around humans or around any other particular group of beings.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
