REVOLVE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does revolve mean? 

• REVOLVE (verb)
  The verb REVOLVE has 3 senses:

1. turn on or around an axis or a center

2. move in an orbit

3. cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis

  Familiarity information: REVOLVE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• REVOLVE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they revolve    ... he / she / it revolves   
Past simple: revolved   
Past participle: revolved   
-ing form: revolving   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn on or around an axis or a center

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

go around; revolve; rotate

Context example:

The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

turn (move around an axis or a center)

Verb group:

circumvolve; rotate (cause to turn on an axis or center)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

drive in; screw (cause to penetrate, as with a circular motion)

screw (turn like a screw)

wheel; wheel around (change directions as if revolving on a pivot)

gyrate; reel; spin; spin around; whirl (revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis)

swirl; twiddle; twirl; whirl (turn in a twisting or spinning motion)

Sentence frame:

Something is ----ing PP

Also:

revolve around (center upon)

Derivation:

revolution (a single complete turn (axial or orbital))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move in an orbit

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

orb; orbit; revolve

Context example:

electrons orbit the nucleus

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

circle (move in a circular path above (someone or something))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

retrograde (move backward in an orbit, of celestial bodies)

Sentence frames:

Something is ----ing PP
Something ----s something

Derivation:

revolution (a single complete turn (axial or orbital))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cause to move by turning over or in a circular manner of as if on an axis

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

revolve; roll

Context example:

They rolled their eyes at his words

Hypernyms (to "revolve" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Verb group:

roll; turn over (move by turning over or rotating)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "revolve"):

transit (revolve (the telescope of a surveying transit) about its horizontal transverse axis in order to reverse its direction)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

As I ran down the passage, my sister’s door was unlocked, and revolved slowly upon its hinges.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Neptune takes 165 years to revolve around the Sun, and Jupiter takes 12 years to make the same journey.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

I revolved many projects, but that on which I finally fixed was to enter the dwelling when the blind old man should be alone.

(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)

An international team of astronomers discovered an exoplanet, called NGTS-1b, revolving around M-dwarf star NGTS-1, that the team said does not fit existing notions of how stars and planets form.

(Astronomers report dwarf star with unexpectedly giant planet, Wikinews)

They argued with many examples and analogies for a good ten minutes, revolving round me at the same time with their heads on one side and their glasses to their eyes.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The ring revolves around Haumea, located in the so-called Kuiper Belt.

(Brazil astronomers discover ring around dwarf planet near Pluto, Agência Brasil)

Suddenly, as the landlady’s footsteps died away, there was the creak of a turning key, the handle revolved, and two thin hands darted out and lifted the tray from the chair.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As he hurtled through the air, with giant limbs revolving, the lad's heart was in his mouth; for surely no man ever yet had such a fall and came scathless out of it.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The so-called "rogue" planet does not revolve around a star, but instead rotates around the galactic center in interstellar space.

(Astronomers Discover New Planet Not Orbiting Any Star, VOA)

But while Jupiter revolves around our sun once every 12 years, WASP-121b has an orbital period of just 1.3 days.

(Hubble Detects Exoplanet with Glowing Water Atmosphere, NASA)