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Synonyms

rev

1 American  
[rev] / rɛv /

noun

  1. a revolution (in an engine or the like).

verb (used with object)

revved, revving

  1. to accelerate sharply the speed of (an engine or the like) (often followed byup ).

verb (used without object)

revved, revving

  1. (of an engine) to accelerate; become revved (often followed byup ).

verb phrase

  1. rev up to increase in strength or accelerate sharply.

    The economy is beginning to rev up.
rev. 2 American  

abbreviation

  1. revenue.

  2. reverse.

  3. review.

  4. reviewed.

  5. revise; revised.

  6. revision.

  7. revolution.

  8. revolving.

Rev. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. Bible. Revelation.

  2. Reverend.

rev. 1 British  

abbreviation

  1. revenue

  2. reverse(d)

  3. review

  4. revise(d)

  5. revision

  6. revolution

  7. revolving

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Rev. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Bible Revelation

  2. Reverend

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
rev 3 British  
/ rɛv /

noun

  1. revolution per minute

    the engine was doing 5000 revs
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (often foll by up) to increase the speed of revolution of (an engine)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rev

First recorded in 1900–05; short for revolution

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Anthropic struck a deal to help reshape college coding courses across the U.S., revving up the race among tech companies to get their AI tools into the hands of the next generation of American workers.

From The Wall Street Journal

That means the engines have to rev high in the corners, so drivers are using lower gears.

From BBC

There are four ways of recovering energy: under braking; revving the engine in corners; lifting off early before a corner and harvesting while still on full throttle.

From BBC

That trend has revved up since last spring, when global investors dumped U.S. stocks, Treasurys and other dollar-denominated assets—the “Sell America” trade, as it was dubbed at the time.

From The Wall Street Journal

As if to prove her point, Auntie Nina’s engine revs loudly.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.