Meaning & use
gyrate
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To spin or move round and round in a circle or spiral.
Grammar: No object: the planet gyrates; add around or about to show the center.
Patterns
- gyrate around something
- gyrate about
The leaves gyrated in the wind before settling on the ground.
Tiny particles gyrate around the central point of the machine.
The toy top gyrated wildly on the table.
verbintransitive
To move the body in energetic, twisting or rolling movements, especially in dancing.
Grammar: No object; often paired with to music: gyrate to the beat.
Patterns
- gyrate to something
Dancers gyrated to the pounding beat of the drums.
The singer gyrated across the stage as the crowd cheered.
Toddlers gyrated happily when the music started.
verbintransitivefigurative
To change sharply and repeatedly, especially prices or moods.
Grammar: No object; used for numbers that swing up and down: markets gyrated.
Patterns
- gyrate between something and something
Share prices gyrated wildly throughout the day.
His mood gyrated between hope and despair.
Oil prices have gyrated since the conflict began.
Word forms
| third person singular | gyrates |
|---|---|
| past tense | gyrated |
| past participle | gyrated |
| -ing form | gyrating |
Common combinations
- gyrate wildly
- The stock market gyrated wildly after the announcement.
- gyrate to the music
- Teenagers gyrated to the music under the colored lights.
- gyrate around
- Dust specks gyrate around in the beam of light.
- gyrate between
- Her opinion gyrated between support and doubt.
- gyrate hips
- The performer gyrated his hips in time with the song.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rotate
- Rotate means to turn around a fixed center in a steady way, while gyrate suggests a wilder or more irregular spinning.
- whirl
- Whirl stresses fast circular movement and is more neutral, whereas gyrate often points to twisting body movement.
- swivel
- Swivel means to turn on a single point, such as a chair, and does not suggest continuous circling.
- fluctuate
- Fluctuate describes numbers rising and falling without the vivid image of spinning that gyrate gives.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gyrate or rotate? gyrate or gyrus?
gyrate vs rotate
Rotate is a steady turn around an axis, as a wheel does, while gyrate is looser and more energetic.
gyrate vs gyrus
A gyrus is a ridge on the surface of the brain, not a movement.
Practice
Which verb best fits? The crowd began to ___ to the music at the festival.
Choose one answer.
Gyrate fits energetic dancing movement. Fluctuate is for numbers, and rotate and revolve describe steady turning of objects, not people dancing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gyrate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.