rotate

IPA/rəʊˈteɪt/
KK[rˈotˌet]IPA/ˈrəʊteɪt/

rotate — verb

  • rotatepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • rotateshe / she / it
  • rotatedpast simple
  • rotating-ing form

1. to move or make something move in a circle around a fixed central point, like a

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to move or make something move in a circle around a fixed central point, like a wheel turning on its axle or the Earth spinning on its axis

Example

The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours, producing day and night.

rotate on [something] for a fixed centre of rotation

Asher slowly rotated the wooden globe to show the class where Japan is located.

Common collocations
  • rotate on an axis
  • rotate clockwise/anticlockwise
  • rotate around a center
  • rotate slowly/quickly
  • rotate freely
Synonyms
  • spin

    faster, more informal; suggests a rapid turning motion

  • revolve

    more formal; can mean moving around an external point (e.g., Moon revolves around Earth)

  • turn

    more general, less technical; used for any circular movement

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rotate + adverb of direction/speed

rotate + object + around/on + noun

Usage Note

In the intransitive use, the subject is the thing that turns (wheel, Earth, blades). In the transitive use, someone turns an object. Common with adverbs of direction: clockwise, anticlockwise, slowly, quickly.

Common Mistakes

The Earth rotates around the Sun every day.
The Earth orbits the Sun every year and rotates on its axis every day.
'Rotate' means spin on an internal axis, not move around something else.

2. to take turns doing a particular job or task, so that different people do the wo

2.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to take turns doing a particular job or task, so that different people do the work at different times in a regular order

Example

The store manager rotates the staff between the morning and evening shifts each week.

rotate + people + between + [two options]

Adaeze and her three housemates rotate the cooking duties so no one cooks every night.

Common collocations
  • rotate jobs
  • rotate duties
  • rotate shifts
  • rotate roles
  • rotate responsibilities
  • rotate among members
Synonyms
  • take turns

    less formal, more common in everyday conversation

  • alternate

    implies a pattern of two people or groups swapping

Grammar Patterns

rotate + noun (jobs/duties/shifts)

rotate among + group

rotate between + two things

Usage Note

Frequently used with words for duties or jobs (roles, shifts, responsibilities, chores). The group affected is introduced with among or between.

Common Mistakes

We rotate the meeting every week.
We rotate who leads the meeting every week.
The meeting itself does not change; the person doing it changes.

3. to grow different types of crops one after another in the same field to keep the

3.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to grow different types of crops one after another in the same field to keep the soil healthy and reduce pest problems

Example

The Nguyen family rotates their fields between rice and beans to keep the soil healthy.

rotate fields + between + [crop types]

Mira's grandfather rotates corn, wheat, and soybeans on his farm every growing season.

Common collocations
  • rotate crops
  • rotate fields
  • rotate between corn and beans
  • rotate with clover
Synonyms
Antonyms
  • monocrop

    grow the same crop in the same field repeatedly

Grammar Patterns

rotate + crops / fields

rotate + between + crops

Usage Note

Almost always used transitively with crops, fields, or plants as the object. The purpose is typically explained with to-infinitive: to keep soil healthy, to prevent pests.

Common Mistakes

The farmer rotates the field entirely.
The farmer rotates the crops in the field.
You rotate what you grow, not the physical field.

rotate — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four verbs describe circular movement, but they differ in how the movement happens and how formal they sound. Rotate is the most precise word for something moving around its own central point or axis, such as a wheel, a blade, or the Earth on its axis. Spin suggests a faster, more casual motion — you spin a top or spin a basketball on your finger, but you would not say a planet spins (it rotates). Revolve usually means moving around an external point, like the Moon revolving around Earth, though careful speakers also use it for internal rotation in formal contexts. Turn is the broadest and most everyday word: you can turn a key, turn your head, or turn a page. It works in most situations but lacks the technical precision of rotate. For scientific or mechanical descriptions, choose rotate. For everyday conversation, turn is natural. For fast or playful motion, spin fits best.

rotate ↗spin ↗revolve ↗turn ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on an axis
  • around a centre
  • in a circle
  • at different speeds

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Rotate comes from the Latin verb rotare, meaning 'to turn round like a wheel.' The Latin root rota means 'wheel.' The English word first appeared in the early 1800s, originally as a botanical term before expanding to general use.