revolve

verb

Simple meaning

To rotate around an axis.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

reevahlv

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice

IPA pronunciation (US)

ɹiˈvɑlv

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

Physical movement.
(intransitive) To rotate around an axis.
Physical movement.
(intransitive) To move in order or sequence.
Physical movement.
(intransitive) To orbit a central point (especially of a celestial body).
Physical movement.
(transitive) To cause (something) to turn around a central point.
Physical movement.
(transitive, now rare) To bring back into a particular place or condition; to restore.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty: C2 · Proficient
Frequency: Uncommon
Typical Use: Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (Physical movement.) (intransitive) To rotate around an axis.

Used this way, revolve is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone: Neutral
Formality: Neutral
Intensity: Not strongly marked
How common: Moderately common
Connotation: No strong connotation
Usage feel: Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use revolve

“The Earth revolves around the Sun.”verb

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

revolve roundplanets revolverevolve rapidlyrevolve slowlyrevolve freely

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Similar Words, What’s the Difference?

Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.

orbit
To move around the general vicinity of something.
rotate
Turn on or around an axis or a center.
go around
To move or spread from person to person.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

revolvernounInflected form
A pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets).

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

revolve aroundverbCompound term
Center upon.
revolving charge accountnounCompound term
A charge account that does not have to be paid to zero balance.
revolving creditnounCompound term
A consumer credit line that can be used up to a certain limit or paid down at any time.
revolving doornounCompound term
An organization or institution with a high rate of turnover of personnel or membership.
revolving fundnounCompound term
A fund which, if borrowed or used, is intended to be replenished so it may be loaned or spent repeatedly.
revolve aboutverbCompound term
Center upon.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: (intransitive) To rotate around an axis

rollrotate

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.