Library / English Dictionary

REVOLVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis

Example:

They rolled their eyes at his words

Synonyms:

revolve; roll

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Verb group:

roll; turn over (move by turning over or rotating)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

transit (revolve (the telescope of a surveying transit) about its horizontal transverse axis in order to reverse its direction)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move in an orbit

Example:

electrons orbit the nucleus

Synonyms:

orb; orbit; revolve

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

circle (move in a circular path above (someone or something))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

retrograde (move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s something

Derivation:

revolution (a single complete turn (axial or orbital))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Turn on or around an axis or a center

Example:

The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire

Synonyms:

go around; revolve; rotate

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

turn (move around an axis or a center)

Verb group:

circumvolve; rotate (cause to turn on an axis or center)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

drive in; screw (cause to penetrate, as with a circular motion)

screw (turn like a screw)

wheel; wheel around (change directions as if revolving on a pivot)

gyrate; reel; spin; spin around; whirl (revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis)

swirl; twiddle; twirl; whirl (turn in a twisting or spinning motion)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Also:

revolve around (center upon)

Derivation:

revolution (a single complete turn (axial or orbital))

Credits

 Context examples: 

But Martin restored the blonde to Jimmy, and the three of them, with half a dozen friends, watched the revolving couples and laughed and joked with one another.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

In revolving Lady Catherine's expressions, however, she could not help feeling some uneasiness as to the possible consequence of her persisting in this interference.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Elizabeth was, in fact, revolving a great measure.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Jo revolved, and Amy gave a touch here and there, then fell back, with her head on one side, observing graciously, Yes, you'll do.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Look. I place the transparent scale on this star-map, revolving the scale on the North Pole.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Even now, when I am gravely revolving the matter, it is almost impossible to realise that the cause of all our trouble is still existent.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

He had swung round his revolving chair so as to face me, and he sat all puffed out like an enormous bull-frog, his head laid back and his eyes half-covered by supercilious lids.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It employs a large motor-driven apparatus with a long arm, at the end of which human and animal subjects, biological specimens, or equipment can be revolved and rotated at various speeds to study gravitational effects.

(Centrifugation, NCI Thesaurus)

The breeze fell for some seconds, very low, and the current gradually turning her, the HISPANIOLA revolved slowly round her centre and at last presented me her stern, with the cabin window still gaping open and the lamp over the table still burning on into the day.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Mr. Dick made his two hands revolve very fast about each other a great number of times, and then brought them into collision, and rolled them over and over one another, to express confusion.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)