rotary

rotary — adjective

IPA/ˈrəʊtəri/
KK[rˈotɚi]IPA/ˈrəʊtəri/
  • rotarypositive
  • more rotarycomparative
  • most rotarysuperlative

1. describes a machine or device whose parts turn around a fixed centre point, rath

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describes a machine or device whose parts turn around a fixed centre point, rather than moving back and forth

Example

Kenji swapped his push mower for a rotary model whose blade spins on a shaft.

rotary + noun (model, engine, blade); illustrates spinning vs push motion

Soraya pressed the rotary cutter's circular blade against the quilt fabric and rolled it forward.

demonstrates 'rotary cutter' with circular-blade rolling action

Common collocations
  • rotary engine
  • rotary blade
  • rotary cutter
  • rotary switch
  • rotary dial
  • rotary drum
  • rotary model
  • rotary mechanism
Synonyms
  • rotating

    can also be used predicatively ('the blade is rotating'), whereas 'rotary' cannot

  • revolving

    suggests something circling around an external point; 'revolving door' vs 'rotary blade'

  • spinning

    more informal; emphasises speed and continuous turning

Antonyms
  • fixed

    a stationary part that does not move at all

  • reciprocating

    moving back and forth in a straight line rather than turning

Grammar Patterns

rotary + noun

Usage Note

Attributive only — 'rotary' typically sits directly before the noun it modifies (a rotary blade, a rotary engine). It does not appear after linking verbs.

Common Mistakes

The fan is rotary.
The fan has a rotary mechanism.' or 'The fan is a rotary model.
'rotary' is not used predicatively; rephrase with a noun.

2. describes a free-standing outdoor drying stand with a central pole and arms that

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

describes a free-standing outdoor drying stand with a central pole and arms that turn around, from which washing lines are stretched

Example

The Watanabes bought a rotary washing line because their garden has very little shade.

collocation: rotary washing line

Ishaan hung bedsheets on the rotary clothesline and pushed it around to catch the sun.

Common collocations
  • rotary washing line
  • rotary clothesline
  • rotary dryer
  • rotary line (abbreviated)
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

rotary + washing line / clothesline

Usage Note

In British English, 'rotary washing line' (or 'rotary clothesline') is a common household term. In American English, a 'clothesline' on a spinning stand is often called a 'rotary clothesline' or just a 'clothesline'. The word 'rotary' here is always attributive — it cannot stand alone as a noun meaning the line itself.

Common Mistakes

I bought a rotary.' (meaning a clothesline)
I bought a rotary washing line.
In everyday speech, 'rotary' alone is not used as a noun for this object.

rotary — noun

IPA/ˈrəʊ.tər.i/
KK[rˈotɚi]IPA/ˈroʊ.t̬ɚ.i/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe circular movement, but they differ in grammar and typical use. 'Rotary' is an attributive-only adjective — it sits directly before a noun ('a rotary engine') and cannot follow a linking verb. 'Rotating' is more flexible: it works both before a noun ('a rotating blade') and after a verb ('the blade is rotating'). 'Revolving' often suggests something moving around an external point or axis, such as a 'revolving door' or 'revolving restaurant'. 'Spinning' leans informal and implies fast, continuous rotation on a central point ('a spinning top'). For technical or mechanical descriptions, 'rotary' and 'rotating' are the most common choices: you would say 'a rotary cutter' in a craft shop, but 'a rotating brush' in a vacuum cleaner manual. For non-technical contexts, 'spinning' feels more natural in speech.

rotary ↗rotating ↗revolving ↗spinning ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • rotary engine
  • rotary washing line
  • rotary clothesline
  • rotary cutter
  • rotary dial
  • rotary switch

Prepositions

  • at the rotary
  • into the rotary
  • around the rotary

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Borrowed from Latin 'rotarius', meaning 'turning like a wheel', which comes from 'rota' (wheel). The adjective entered English in the mid-1700s to describe machines with rotating parts. The noun use for a circular road junction developed in British English around the early 1900s as car traffic grew.