rotation

American  

[roh-tay-shuhn] / roʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

• rotations
  plural

1. the act of rotating; a turning around as on an axis.

2. Astronomy.

   1. the movement or path of the earth or a heavenly body turning on its axis.

   2. one complete turn of such a body.

3. regularly recurring succession, as of officials.

4. Agriculture. crop rotation.

5. Mathematics.

   1. an operation that rotates a geometric figure about a fixed point.

   2. curl.

6. Pool. a game in which the balls are played in order by number.

7. Baseball. pitching rotation.

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rotation British  

/ rəʊˈteɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of rotating; rotary motion

2. a regular cycle of events in a set order or sequence

3. a planned sequence of cropping according to which the crops grown in successive seasons on the same land are varied so as to make a balanced demand on its resources of fertility

4. maths

   1. a circular motion of a configuration about a given point or line, without a change in shape

   2. a transformation in which the coordinate axes are rotated by a fixed angle about the origin

   3. Abbreviation (for sense 4c): rot. another name for curl

5. 1. the spinning motion of a body, such as a planet, about an internal axis Compare revolution

   2. one complete turn in such motion

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rotation Scientific  

/ rō-tā′shən /

1. The motion of an object around an internal axis.

2. A single complete cycle of such motion.

3. See Note at revolution

4. A transformation of a coordinate system in which the new axes have a specified angular displacement from their original position while the origin remains fixed.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrotation
  noun
• nonrotational
  adjective
• rotational
  adjective
• unrotational
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• rotations
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of rotation

1545–55; < Latin rotātiōn- (stem of rotātiō ) a rotation, rolling, equivalent to rotāt ( us ) ( see rotate ¹) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

When something turns like a wheel, over and over again, it's in rotation. You can't feel the earth's rotation even though you know it's happening. Even if you find the rotation of clothes in the dryer comforting, it's best to remain on the outside looking in. Rotation can also mean a series that repeats. A baseball team has a "pitching rotation" (five pitchers who take turns starting games), while a song that's on the radio every fifteen minutes is on "heavy rotation."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rotation rotations

Since the AI thematic has peaked, Wood considers the rotation that’s taking place to be a consequence.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2026

The rotation at left-back eventually led to Carrick starting five different players in that role.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

However, Europe’s tech-light stock indexes benefited from the broader investor rotation away from AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2026

Although these movements appear random, the researchers discovered that the rotation of the magnetic fields follows a consistent pattern.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

“You know that the Ace Period debate club is ending, and a new rotation starts next week, right?”

From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden

Experts say that data, much of which is sold by brokers online, can be used to reveal a military base’s rhythm, including shift rotations and meal times.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2026

“No major S&P group has benefited more from the violent sector rotations of the last 4 to 5 months than healthcare,” Nicholas Colas, co-founder of DataTrek, said in commentary shared with MarketWatch on Wednesday.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

He was previously a news associate, a two-year fellowship which included rotations in Chicago and New York across sections like corporate business, markets and social media.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

These rotations between holding midfield and central midfield are movements Maresca may also encourage Anderson to perform when others fill the space behind him.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

But before he made it through two complete rotations, Laura Friendly burst into the room wearing a reflective jogging suit that made her look like a small astronaut.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

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Related Words

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