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.

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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.

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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

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adjective

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

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

Explanation

Rotate means to circle around a center point. Wheels on a car rotate, planets rotate, and if you're an ice skater, you rotate on the blade of a skate when you do your spins. Rotate can also mean that you take turns performing a job. If you, Jim, and Shelia all got the same amount of votes in the class election, you could rotate the role of treasurer, meaning the position would pass from one to another in a regular pattern. Rotate can also refer to other things that are passed along in a regular order. You might rotate lawn duties with your brother — that means you mow the lawn one week and he mows it the next.

Example Sentences

"With crude backing off, the pressure on inflation expectations and front-end yields eases at the margin, and that is enough to let capital rotate back toward risk, at least for now."

From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026

There was little that Ed Barnard, in his first match as Warwickshire captain, could do but rotate his array of seamers in the hope of inducing errors.

From BBC • Apr. 6, 2026

After all, if the hips rotate well, they absorb much of the energy of the swing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Light can rotate clockwise, known as right-circular polarization, or counter-clockwise, known as left-circular polarization.

From Science Daily • Mar. 21, 2026

First, I set down the sack of gunpowder so that I could rotate my belt around my waist.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• pivot
• revolve
• spin
• swivel
• twirl
• twist
• whirl