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Synonyms

rotate

1 American  
[roh-teyt, roh-teyt] / ˈroʊ teɪt, roʊˈteɪt /

verb (used with object)

rotated, rotating

  1. to cause to turn around an axis or center point; revolve.

    Synonyms:
    whirl, wheel

  2. to cause to go through a cycle of changes; cause to pass or follow in a fixed routine of succession.

    to rotate farm crops.

  3. to replace (a person, troops, etc.) by another or others, usually according to a schedule or plan.

verb (used without object)

rotated, rotating

  1. to turn around on or as if on an axis.

  2. to proceed in a fixed routine of succession.

    The sentries rotated in keeping watch.
rotate 2 American  
[roh-teyt] / ˈroʊ teɪt /

adjective

  1. wheel-shaped: applied especially to a gamopetalous short-tubed corolla with a spreading limb.

rotate British  

verb

  1. to turn or cause to turn around an axis, line, or point; revolve or spin

  2. to follow or cause to follow a set order or sequence

  3. (of a position, presidency, etc) to pass in turn from one eligible party to each of the other eligible parties

  4. (of staff) to replace or be replaced in turn

"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

adjective

  1. botany designating a corolla the united petals of which radiate from a central point like the spokes of a wheel

"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

Related Words

See turn.

Other Word Forms

  • nonrotatable adjective
  • nonrotating adjective
  • rotatable adjective
  • rotatably adverb
  • unrotated adjective
  • unrotating adjective

Etymology

Origin of rotate1

First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin rotātus (past participle of rotāre “to cause to spin, roll, move in a circle”), equivalent to rot(a) “wheel” + -ātus -ate 1

Origin of rotate2

1775–85; < Latin rot ( a ) wheel + -ate 1

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.

However, perhaps the most iconic element in the space is the infamous “rotating closet” that Hannah was regularly seen using in the series.

From MarketWatch

She rotated the bowl with her left hand and stirred with her right, reaching down to the bottom of the bowl, her fingers massaging the water in.

From Literature

Despite the fact that I’ve been watering Mr. Harris’s plant, and rotating its position in the window, it still looks like a barren stick.

From Literature

France currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7 advanced economies.

From Barron's

This device continuously rotates cells to mimic the disorienting effects of zero gravity.

From Science Daily

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.