rotate
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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to cause to turn around an axis or center point; revolve.
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to cause to go through a cycle of changes; cause to pass or follow in a fixed routine of succession.
to rotate farm crops.
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to replace (a person, troops, etc.) by another or others, usually according to a schedule or plan.
verb (used without object)
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to turn around on or as if on an axis.
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to proceed in a fixed routine of succession.
The sentries rotated in keeping watch.
adjective
verb
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to turn or cause to turn around an axis, line, or point; revolve or spin
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to follow or cause to follow a set order or sequence
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(of a position, presidency, etc) to pass in turn from one eligible party to each of the other eligible parties
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(of staff) to replace or be replaced in turn
adjective
Related Words
See turn.
Other Word Forms
- nonrotatable adjective
- nonrotating adjective
- rotatable adjective
- rotatably adverb
- unrotated adjective
- unrotating adjective
Etymology
Origin of rotate1
First recorded in 1800–10; from Latin rotātus (past participle of rotāre “to cause to spin, roll, move in a circle”), equivalent to rot(a) “wheel” + -ātus -ate 1
Origin of rotate2
1775–85; < Latin rot ( a ) wheel + -ate 1
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.
Such conditions are common in protoplanetary disks, the rotating clouds of gas and dust that surround young stars and eventually give rise to planets.
From Science Daily
The best strategy is to sell staples and use the proceeds to rotate into healthcare.
From Barron's
In other words, investors tend to rotate out of chip makers altogether, instead of jumping from one to another.
From Barron's
“But as money rotates into more insulated sectors, anything with even a whiff of disruption risk is getting hit. That creates potential opportunity for some investors, while others will stick with slow-and-steady indexing.”
From Barron's
Investors have continued to rotate money into international equities, with European and emerging-market funds drawing steady inflows even as U.S. tech whipsaws.
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.
