Meaning & use
rotate
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To turn in a circle around a fixed center or line, or to make something do this.
Grammar: No object when the thing spins: the Earth rotates. With an object when you turn it: rotate the handle.
Patterns
- rotate around something
- rotate something clockwise
- rotate on an axis
The Earth rotates once every twenty-four hours.
Rotate the dial slowly until it clicks.
The fan blades rotate faster on the highest setting.
verbtransitive or intransitive
To take turns doing a task or job in a set order, or to arrange this for others.
Grammar: No object when people take turns: the jobs rotate. With an object when you arrange it: rotate the staff.
Patterns
- rotate between things
- rotate something with something
- rotate duties
The nurses rotate between day and night shifts.
Farmers rotate their crops to keep the soil healthy.
We rotate the cleaning duties each week.
Word forms
| third person singular | rotates |
|---|---|
| past tense | rotated |
| past participle | rotated |
| -ing form | rotating |
Common combinations
- rotate clockwise
- Rotate the knob clockwise to turn up the volume.
- rotate around an axis
- Planets rotate around an axis through their poles.
- rotate crops
- Many farmers rotate crops to prevent pests.
- rotate shifts
- The guards rotate shifts every two weeks.
- rotate the image
- You can rotate the image if it appears sideways.
- slowly rotate
- The sculpture slowly rotates on its stand.
Synonyms and how they differ
- spin
- Spin is faster and usually describes quick, free turning, while rotate can be slow and controlled.
- revolve
- Revolve is usually used for traveling in a circle around another object, as with a planet around the sun.
- turn
- Turn is a general everyday word and does not need a full circle, unlike rotate.
- alternate
- Alternate means to take turns between two things, while rotate fits sequences of three or more.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: rotate or revolve? rotate or roast?
rotate vs revolve
Revolve is usually motion around an outside point, as the Earth revolves around the sun, while rotate is turning on its own axis.
rotate vs roast
Roast sounds a little like rotate but means to cook with dry heat.
Practice
The Earth takes about a year to ___ the sun but only a day to ___ on its axis. Which pair is correct?
Choose one answer.
Revolve is travel around another body, and rotate is turning on its own axis. The other pairs swap or repeat the verbs.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rotate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.