rotor
Americannoun
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Electricity. a rotating member of a machine.
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Aeronautics. a system of rotating airfoils, as the horizontal ones of a helicopter or of the compressor of a jet engine.
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any of a number of tall, cylindrical devices mounted on a special ship rotor ship and rotated in such a way that the Magnus effect of wind impinging on the cylinders is used to drive and maneuver the vessel.
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(in a self-winding watch) a weight eccentrically mounted on an arbor for keeping the mainspring wound.
noun
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the rotating member of a machine or device, esp the armature of a motor or generator or the rotating assembly of a turbine Compare stator
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a device having blades radiating from a central hub that is rotated to produce thrust to lift and propel a helicopter
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the revolving arm of the distributor of an internal-combustion engine
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a violent rolling wave of air occurring in the lee of a mountain or hill, in which the air rotates about a horizontal axis
Etymology
Origin of rotor
First recorded in 1873; short for rotator
Vocabulary lists containing rotor
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.
The spark plug ignites a fuel-air mix, causing the rotor to turn a shaft, creating motion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
The spark plug ignites a fuel-air mix, causing the rotor to turn a shaft, creating motion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
He also said the Flettner rotor was a "really sustainable solution" for decarbonising shipping.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2025
A tweet about Tuesday’s announcement included a video showing a spinning wheel with a Tesla logo that could have been the rotor of a Tesla eVTOL, or quadcopter drone.
From Barron's • Oct. 7, 2025
Its rotor was broken, the grass blackened all around it.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
