revolve
Americanverb (used without object)
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revolves,
present (3rd person singular)
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revolved,
past participle, past
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revolving
present participle
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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
-
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
Synonym Usage
See turn.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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revolvesimple
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revolvessimple
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have revolvedperfect
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has revolvedperfect
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am revolvingprogressive
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are revolvingprogressive
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is revolvingprogressive
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have been revolvingperfect progressive
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has been revolvingperfect progressive
Past
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revolvedsimple
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had revolvedperfect
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was revolvingprogressive
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were revolvingprogressive
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had been revolvingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
We stopped accepting every invitation, and that’s when I realized how much of the friendship had come to revolve around spending.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Many marmot problems appear to revolve around their appetite for salt, which they find on sweat-stained hiking poles and backpack straps as well as radiator fluid, said Blumstein, an ecology and evolutionary biology professor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
In recent weeks, the conflict has come to revolve around the blockaded Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Frenkel said its interest could revolve around how Guggenheim Investments, Walter’s asset management firm, booked revenue from its dealings with the insurers and the disclosures of the transactions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
“Nothing’s happening here,” is what they say, and many of their conversations revolve around their plans for escape.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Johnston pointed to Bukele's political persona, which revolves around his iron-fisted crackdown on organized crime in his Cental American country.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
The newly identified object orbits this brown dwarf, creating a remarkable arrangement in which a massive satellite circles an object that itself revolves around a star.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026
For all its fluff, it does occasionally show its teeth, even when much of the story revolves around women whose lives revolve around men.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Haggling revolves around the quality of the mushrooms—the more pristine and unblemished, the better.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
My life revolves around an obsessive regimen and percentages, and given that I was just in surgery, the risk never seems to go down.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Part of the scheme allegedly revolved around Elite Model Management, run by John Casablancas, who was a friend of both Epstein’s and Trump’s.
From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026
The regulations mostly revolved around protecting aircraft from passengers, however, not pilots or crew who might present threats from within.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Turkey's interests in Syria historically revolved around preventing a spillover of Kurdish fighters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
In recent years, much of his work has revolved around fighting against the proposed luxury hotel.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
When it came down to it, though, I don’t recall our taking many practical steps towards defending Miss Geraldine; our activities always revolved around gathering more and more evidence concerning the plot itself.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
On Sept. 29, it arranged $30 billion in credit facilities, replacing a $5 billion revolving credit line, which works much like a corporate credit card.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The loyal fans blame the front office, which has waved nearly six dozens players and five managers, including interim coaches, through its revolving doors since the first season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
They are revolving around making the system work for the average voter.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
United confirmed it made three further drawdowns from its revolving credit limit, on 29 and 31 July and 28 August, totalling £120m.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The current did not slacken and the punt came round the bend almost in the middle of the stream, revolving as it did so.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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