Adjacent Words

revolve definitions

	Tweet

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: turn on or around an axis or a center; "The Earth revolves around the Sun"; "The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire" [syn: revolve, go around, rotate]
2: move in an orbit; "The moon orbits around the Earth"; "The planets are orbiting the sun"; "electrons orbit the nucleus" [syn: orb, orbit, revolve]
3: cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis; "She rolled the ball"; "They rolled their eyes at his words" [syn: roll, revolve]

Merriam Webster's

verb (revolved; revolving) Etymology: Middle English, from Latin revolvere to roll back, cause to return, from re- + volvere to roll — more at voluble Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to turn over at length in the mind ; ponder <revolve a scheme> 2. a. obsolete to cause to go round in an orbit b. rotate 1 intransitive verb 1. recur 2. a. to ponder something b. to remain under consideration <ideas revolved in his mind> 3. a. to move in a curved path round a center or axis b. to turn or roll round on an axis 4. to have or come to a specified focus ; center — usually used with around <the dispute revolved around wages> • revolvable adjective

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. 1 intr. & tr. turn or cause to turn round, esp. on an axis; rotate. 2 intr. move in a circular orbit. 3 tr. ponder (a problem etc.) in the mind. Phrases and idioms: revolving credit credit that is automatically renewed as debts are paid off. revolving door a door with usu. four partitions turning round a central axis. Derivatives: revolvable adj. Etymology: ME f. L revolvere (as RE-, volvere roll)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Revolve Re*volve", v. t. 1. To cause to turn, as on an axis. Then in the east her turn she shines, Revolved on heaven's great axile. --Milton. 2. Hence, to turn over and over in the mind; to reflect repeatedly upon; to consider all aspects of. This having heard, straight I again revolved The law and prophets. --Milton.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Revolve Re*volve", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Revolved; p. pr. & vb. n. Revolving.] [L. revolvere, revolutum; pref. re- re- + volvere to roll, turn round. See Voluble, and cf. Revolt, revolution.] 1. To turn or roll round on, or as on, an axis, like a wheel; to rotate, -- which is the more specific word in this sense. If the earth revolve thus, each house near the equator must move a thousand miles an hour. --I. Watts. 2. To move in a curved path round a center; as, the planets revolve round the sun. 3. To pass in cycles; as, the centuries revolve. 4. To return; to pass. [R.] --Ayliffe.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(revolves, revolving, revolved) 1. If you say that one thing revolves around another thing, you mean that the second thing is the main feature or focus of the first thing. Since childhood, her life has revolved around tennis... VERB: V around n 2. If a discussion or conversation revolves around a particular topic, it is mainly about that topic. The debate revolves around specific accounting techniques... VERB: V around n 3. If one object revolves around another object, the first object turns in a circle around the second object. The satellite revolves around the Earth once every hundred minutes. VERB: V around n 4. When something revolves or when you revolve it, it moves or turns in a circle around a central point or line. Overhead, the fan revolved slowly... Monica picked up her Biro and revolved it between her teeth. VERB: V, V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. 1. Rotate, wheel, turn, roll round an axis, turn round. 2. Circle, move round a centre. 3. Pass away in cycles. 4. Fall back, return, devolve. II. v. a. 1. Cause to turn round, circulate. 2. Consider, meditate, ponder, study, reflect upon, ruminate upon, brood over.

Moby Thesaurus

alternate, be here again, brood over, chaw, chew over, circle, circuit, circuiteer, circulate, circulation, circumambulate, circummigrate, circumnavigate, circumrotate, circumvent, circumvolute, circumvolution, close the circle, come again, come and go, come around, come full circle, come round, come round again, come up again, compass, con over, consider, contemplate, convert, crank, cycle, deliberate, deliberate over, deliberate upon, depend, describe a circle, digest, encircle, encompass, evert, flank, girdle, girdle the globe, go about, go around, go round, go the round, gyrate, gyration, gyre, intermit, introvert, intussuscept, invaginate, inverse, invert, lap, make a circuit, meditate, meditate upon, mull over, muse, muse on, muse over, orbit, oscillate, pirouette, pivot, ponder, ponder over, pronate, pulsate, pulse, reappear, recur, reel, reflect over, reflect upon, rely, reoccur, repeat, resupinate, return, reverse, roll, roll around, rotate, rotation, round, ruminate, ruminate over, run over, screw, skirt, spin, spiral, supinate, surround, swing, swivel, think about, think over, transpose, turn, turn a pirouette, turn about, turn around, turn down, turn in, turn inside out, turn out, turn over, turn round, turn the scale, turn the tables, turn upside down, twirl, twist, undulate, wamble, weigh, wheel, wheel around, whirl, wind