rotation

American  

[roh-tey-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

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

See Examples For:

rotation rotations

Administration officials say the rotation was prescheduled, but the timing is hard to ignore.

From Slate ● Aug. 14, 2026

The Dodgers’ rotation is steadily evolving into its final playoff form.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

"I apparently don't do things by halves. Collapsed lung, chest drain and a very expensive lesson in rotation."

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The rotation highlights changes in two major power markets, Texas and the mid-Atlantic, that have tilted in favor of new power capacity with mixed implications for existing plant owners.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

They had to be placated and their favor sought in order to ensure the fertility of the soil and the rotation of the seasons.

From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking

"We are talking about people who did not simply draw lines, but organized them according to recurring principles -- parallelisms, grids, rotations and systematic repetitions: a visual grammar in embryo."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

By adding the two-time reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, the Dodgers are poised to enter October in pursuit of a three-peat with one of the best pitching rotations in MLB history.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

“While tech bubble builds can overcome such headwinds and uncertainty longer-term, shorter-term drawdowns and rotations into value are not unusual,” the strategists said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026

Teams have scored against Norway's organised 4-5-1 through rotations and dangerous runs out wide.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

We run out to some place along the wall, grab breakfast, run some more, the rotations decided upon by the sheriff and his men.

From "Dread Nation" by Justina Ireland

Related Words

• orbit