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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

His best hope would be to rev the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

My favorite is when kids at red lights ask me to rev the engine like I’m F1 driver Lewis Hamilton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 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

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. xi, "The Instinct of Pugnacity," pp. 279-95; "The Instinct of Pugnacity and the Emotion of Anger," pp. 49-61. 4th rev. ed.

From Introduction to the Science of Sociology by Robert Ezra Park

It was bad enough, Toby," rev. gentleman said, "and might have been worse.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, November 4th 1893 by Various

One of his acrylic paintings, featuring two angels soaring above the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. monument, now anchors a larger body of work, “Los Angelitos.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The Watts Rebellion and the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. three years later sharpened the political force of her vision.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 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

Weekly attendance suffered during the pandemic, but the congregation is seeing an uptick in young families, says the Rev. Alfred Bradley.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026

They decorated the apartment with pink and white tissue streamers and laid out beautiful trays of delicate sandwiches, entres, cake, and coffee, and Rev. Brown stopped over to join us.

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

Alternative producers should curtail supply to prevent a glut as the Gulf revs back up.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

The earnings yield for the S&P 500—based on projected earnings over the next year—has dropped in recent weeks as share prices jump and Wall Street revs up a weekslong stock-buying spree.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

And it is proper: a leather-stitched, handball-sized shift knob, ever shivering with engine revs, the short throws between gears landing in oiled, notchy slots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 23, 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

We have our last futsal tournament this week, then travel soccer club revs up.

From "Booked" by Kwame Alexander

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

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

Alaska Air stock has revved 18% higher in April, but remains down 13% this year.

From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026

The force said no incidents of concern were noticed but numerous vehicles' engines were revved as officers ran past.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

The plane dubbed "the black lady of espionage" by the Soviets revved its engines and started on a 3,788-mile arc over the Soviet Union to a secret base in Bodo, Norway.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

At lower speeds, as in city traffic, you begin to hear the engine’s whispered revving in the perceptual background as it simultaneously propels the car and recharges the 22.7-kWh battery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Even more critically, it is the company’s first test of whether enthusiasts will accept a car carrying the brand name but not the revving, powerful, combustion engine that has defined its legacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026

SpaceX isn’t the only AI play revving up for an IPO.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

There are four ways of recovering energy: under braking; revving the engine in corners; lifting off early before a corner and harvesting while still on full throttle.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

Ghost trucks drive the same roads at night, coming on fast with their bright lights flashing and engines revving loud.

From "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind" by William Kamkwamba

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