rotatero‧tate /rəʊˈteɪt $ ˈroʊteɪt/ ●○○ verb 
Word Origin Examples
The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time.2[intransitive, transitive] if a job rotates, or if people rotate jobs, they each do a particular job for a particular period of time: The chairmanship of the committee rotates annually. Employers may rotate duties to give staff wider experience.3[intransitive, transitive] to change the places of things or people, or to change places, especially in a circular direction: Rotating the tyres every few months helps them last longer.4[transitive] technical to regularly change the crops grown on a piece of land, in order to preserve the quality of the soil → crop rotation
Word OriginWORD ORIGINrotate
Verb TableOrigin:
1600-1700 Latin past participle of rotare, from rota ‘wheel’VERB TABLE
rotate
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | rotate |
| he, she, it | rotates | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | rotated |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have rotated |
| he, she, it | has rotated | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had rotated |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will rotate |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have rotated |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am rotating |
| he, she, it | is rotating | |
| you, we, they | are rotating | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was rotating |
| you, we, they | were rotating | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been rotating |
| he, she, it | has been rotating | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been rotating |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be rotating |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been rotating |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- Rotate the handle a half turn to the left.
- Rotating the tires every few months helps them last longer.
- Cleaning duties are rotated among the various groups.
- Night and day are created by the Earth rotating on its axis.
- The players rotate before each serve.
- We rotate -- I teach French grammar one week, and she teaches it the next.
- We usually rotate the worst jobs so that no one gets stuck with them.
- A better solution may well be to pick up the idea of rotating the audit partner every five to 10 years.
- He saw the propeller contact something and then appear to rotate in the opposite direction as the engine stopped.
- The escape pod was rotating so rapidly that its four occupants were pinned against their couches.
- The Moon rotates so slowly that synchronous orbit is not achievable.
- The result, says the inventor, is that the wheel is permanently out of balance and forced to rotate.
- The stage was illuminated by a stroboscope, a light which flashed at regular intervals by means of a rotating shutter.
THESAURUS► turn
Collocations to move around a central or fixed point: · The wheels of the train began to turn.
► go around (also go round British English) to turn around a central point. Go around is a little more informal than turn and is very common in everyday English: · When the fan goes around, the warm air is pushed back downwards.
► revolve/rotate to turn around and around a central point. Rotate and revolve are more formal than turn and sound more technical: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· The stage revolves at various points during the performance.
► spin to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.
► whirl to spin around extremely quickly, often in a powerful or uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled overhead.
► twirl (around) to spin around quickly, especially as part of a dance or performance: · The couples were twirling around on the dance floor.
► swirl (around) to move around quickly in a circular movement, especially when the movement goes outwards or upwards from the center: · Her white skirt swirled around her legs as she danced.· The leaves began to swirl around.
► spiral to move in a continuous curve that gets nearer to or further from its central point as it goes around: · The smoke spiralled toward the ceiling.
Longman Language Activatorto keep changing from one thing to another► alternate to change repeatedly from one thing or condition to a different one and back again: alternate between something and something: · His mother would alternate inexplicably between kindness and cruelty.· The guide explained the situation, alternating between Spanish and German.alternate with: · He has periods of depression, which alternate with frenzied activity.alternate something with something: · Leroy alternated aerobic exercises with weight training to improve his stamina.
► vary to regularly change what you do or the way you do it so that you are more effective or do not become bored: · Teachers can keep students' interest by varying their classes.· One of Dickens' great skills as a writer is the way he varies his style.· If you're bored with the trip to work, try varying your route.
► rotate if people rotate , they each do something such as a piece of work once, then another person does it, then another, and then the first person again: · We rotate -- I teach French grammar one week, and she teaches it the next.rotate a job/task etc: · We usually rotate the worst jobs so that no one gets stuck with them.
► chop and change British informal to keep changing from one thing to another, in a way that annoys people: · Don't chop and change from one style to another. It confuses the reader.· I wish they wouldn't keep chopping and changing. There's a different team on the field every week.
to go around in circles► turn if something turns , it moves around a fixed central point: · Slowly the wheels of the train began to turn.· I heard the door knob turning, and then Frank opened the door and tiptoed in.· As the propeller stopped turning, Grady ran up to the plane.
► go around also go round British to move in a continuous circular movement: · When the fan goes around it forces the warm air back down.· The gear was going round, but it didn't seem to be catching on anything.
► spin to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.· The wheels were spinning in the mud, but the car wouldn't move.spin aroundalso + round British: · The boy was spinning around in his father's desk chair.
► rotate/revolve to turn around and around a fixed point: · The Earth rotates on its axis once every twenty-four hours.· A disco ball revolved slowly over the empty dance floor.· The stage rotates giving the audience a constantly changing view.
► go/run/drive etc around in circles also go/run/drive etc round in circles especially British to go, run, drive etc continuously or repeatedly around in a circular way: · The children went round in circles till the music stopped.· We were driving around in circles, weaving through the parking lot.
► go/run/drive etc around and around also go/run/drive etc round and round British to go around in circles many times: · Billy will sit and watch his train going round and round on its little track for hours.· The steers walked restlessly around and around their pen.
► whirl to spin around extremely quickly, often in an uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled powerfully overhead.whirl aroundalso + round British: · Flies whirled round the piles of sticky sweets.· Dust and sand were whirling around in the air, as the desert wind began to get stronger.
► spiral to move slowly upwards or downwards in a circular way around a central point, while also moving either in towards the centre or out from it: · Smoke spiralled upward from the chimney.· We watched the leaves spiral down from the trees in the cold autumn wind.
► swirl if water, dust, mist etc swirls , it keeps turning around quickly in a twisting, circular movement: · Dust swirled like smoke in the evening sunshine.swirl aroundalso round British: · Jessie's pale dress swirled round her slender ankles.· The wind swirling around the tree had blown all the snow away from its trunk.
► circle if a bird or aircraft circles , it flies around above a particular place, waiting for something: · We all looked towards the sky where the vultures were circling.· The plane circled the runway several times before landing.circle overhead/above etc: · Helicopters circled overhead, trying to get pictures of the crime scene.
► twirl if someone twirls, they spin around very quickly, especially as part of a dance: · Rachel took her father's hand and twirled in and out under his arm.twirl around/about: · Half a dozen couples were twirling about to a waltz.
turning with a circular movement► revolving designed to turn with a circular movement: · A revolving door led into the hotel lobby.· The 28-story building is topped by a revolving restaurant that offers ever-changing views of the city.
► rotating able to turn with a circular movement - use this especially in technical contexts: · The plastic is cut by a rotating disc.· The stones are polished in a rotating drum full of abrasive powder.
WORD SETS► Conditions of Employmentappraisee, nounappraiser, nounassertiveness training, assessment centre, automatic checkoff, nounB2E, adjectivebasic wage, broadbanding, nounbusiness agent, callback, nouncasual, adjectivechampion of change, nounchange agent, nounCIO, cognitive dissonance, nouncollaborative working, nouncommand and control, nouncompany doctor, company officer, company union, comparable worth, nouncompassionate leave, nouncompetence profiling, nouncompetency-based, adjectivecompetency profiling, compliance officer, confidentiality clause, contract of employment, nouncontract of service, nouncontractual, adjectivecontribution, nouncontributory, adjectiveCOO, core competence, corporate communication, custom and practice, dead time, demarcation dispute, direct labour, disabled quota, dispute procedure, earnings-related, adjectiveemployee referral program, employee relations, employment, nounevergreen contract, expense account, nounfidelity insurance, field staff, fieldwork, nounfirst in, first out, nounflexitime, nounflyback interview, freelance, adjectivegagging clause, gardening leave, gender-awareness, noungolden handshake, noungolden parachute, noungrade, noungrade, verbgratuity, noungreen card, noungross misconduct, Hawthorne effect, Hay system, hirer, nounhiring hall, nounhotelling, nounHRM, hygiene factor, incentive fee, individual retirement account, job description, nounjob order, job quota, job-sharing, nounlast in, first out, nounleave, nounLIFO, marzipan layer, maternity leave, nounMBWA, medical certificate, nounmileage, nounminimum wage, nounmotivator factor, motor pool, nounnight shift, nounnoncontributory, adjectiveout-of-pocket expenses, nounout of work, adjectiveoutplacement, nounpart-time, adjectivepaternity leave, nounpensionable, adjectivepeon, nounperformance appraisal, probation, nounprobationer, nounprofit sharing, nounPRP, psychic income, psychometric testing, QWL, remuneration package, retirement plan, nounreturner, nounrota, nounrotate, verbsabbatical, nounsalary matrix, nounscreening interview, semi-skilled, adjectiveservice agreement, sick note, nounsickout, nounsick pay, nounspan of control, nounsplit shift, nounstrategic business unit, superannuation scheme, nounsweated labour, nounswing shift, nountacit knowledge, time card, nountime clock, nountime sheet, nountour of duty, nountrade dispute, training needs analysis, underpaid, adjectiveupskill, verbWorking Time Directive, nounwork permit, nounworkplace bargaining, work sampling, work study, nounwrongful termination,
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► rotate the crops
1[intransitive, transitive] to turn with a circular movement around a central point, or to make something do this SYN revolve → spin: (=regularly change the crops grown on a piece of land)· Crops are sometimes rotated with grass.
► revolve/rotate earth· Because of the direction in which the Earth revolves, the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► slowly· Very deliberately, Ricci slowly rotated it into the best position for nut-cracking.· Slowly rotate your torso to the left, then hold the position a few seconds.
► then· It is then rotated through approximately 180 degrees to find the largest negative output.· Inspectors spend 30 minutes on the line, then rotate to Secondary Inspection for 30 minutes, Bradley said.· It is then rotated 90 degrees clockwise about its lowest corner.· The cross-rails are then rotated soas to tip the samples into the resin pots.· This involves holding out a bar at arm's length and then rotating it.· Lay the two sheets over one another so that the dots coincide, and then rotate one copy slightly.· The mirror would then rotate in proportion to the strength of the current.
NOUN► axis· The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours.· In theory, the model should rotate about its vertical axis until the control is released and then stop.· The series is set on a giant space station shaped like a cylinder rotating about an axis along its length.· Pictures can be rotated about any axis.
► earth· The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours.
► head· I rotated my head back and forth between them, never knowing who was doing better.· And they make up for a curtailed visual field by being able to rotate their heads through 180°.· Once in the set-up position, you will need to check your alignment by rotating your head towards the target.· Once you have established your body posture, remember to rotate the head to see the target.
The Earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time.2[intransitive, transitive] if a job rotates, or if people rotate jobs, they each do a particular job for a particular period of time: The chairmanship of the committee rotates annually. Employers may rotate duties to give staff wider experience.3[intransitive, transitive] to change the places of things or people, or to change places, especially in a circular direction: Rotating the tyres every few months helps them last longer.4[transitive] technical to regularly change the crops grown on a piece of land, in order to preserve the quality of the soil → crop rotation