rotation

American  

[roh-tey-shuhn] / roʊˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

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

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

Etymology

Origin of rotation

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

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

Performed in rotation with “New Born” is Tom Noonan’s “What Happened Was . . . ,” a 1992 two-hander, also directed by Mr. Rickson, about a nervous date night.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

European Command had recommended that the more than 4,000 soldiers of the armored brigade wouldn’t be backfilled after its regular nine-month rotation, according to DOD officials, but hadn’t urged that the deployment be halted midstream.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

Following a tradition of geographical rotation that is not always observed, Latin America is in line to provide the next UN chief.

From Barron's • May 12, 2026

Jaxson Hayes was out of the postseason rotation last year and is now an important counterpunch behind Ayton.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2026

If one passed by the Earth, it could not “stop” the Earth’s rotation, much less start it up again at twenty-four hours a day.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• orbit