revolvere‧volve /rɪˈvɒlv $ rɪˈvɑːlv/ ●○○ verb [intransitive, transitive] 
The wheel began to revolve. The restaurant slowly revolves, giving excellent views of the city. Using graphics software, you can revolve the image on the screen.revolve around somebody/something (also revolve round somebody/something British English) phrasal verb1[not in progressive] to have something as a main subject or purpose: Jane’s life revolves around her children. The argument revolved around costs. She seems to think that the world revolves around her (=that she is the only important person).2to move in circles around something: The Moon revolves around the Earth.
WORD ORIGINrevolve
Origin:
1300-1400 Latin revolvere ‘to roll back, cause to return’, from volvere ‘to roll’VERB TABLE
revolve
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | revolve |
| he, she, it | revolves | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | revolved |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have revolved |
| he, she, it | has revolved | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had revolved |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will revolve |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have revolved |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am revolving |
| he, she, it | is revolving | |
| you, we, they | are revolving | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was revolving |
| you, we, they | were revolving | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been revolving |
| he, she, it | has been revolving | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been revolving |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be revolving |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been revolving |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- A green and blue mobile revolved slowly above our heads.
- For many, the critical point in the conflict will revolve around giving up work.
- His whole sensibility revolves around the fact that he was born white and is now a cop.
- Other reasons revolve around the changing demands and expectations of consumers and their agents.
- Piper leaned backwards, staggering, and watched the room revolve until his brain seemed to hum with the motion.
- Yannis Kokkos' sets keep revolving for 110 minutes.
THESAURUS
to move around a central or fixed point: · The wheels of the train began to turn.
(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.
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.
to turn around many times very quickly: · The ice skater began to spin faster and faster.
to spin around extremely quickly, often in a powerful or uncontrolled way: · The blades of the helicopter whirled overhead.
to spin around quickly, especially as part of a dance or performance: · The couples were twirling around on the dance floor.
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.
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 go around in circles 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY She seems to think that the world revolves around her (=that she is the only important person).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Iago’s lie is the pivot on which the play turns.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
to move around like a wheel, or to make something move around like a wheel: She seems to think that the world revolves around her (=that she is the only important person).· Because of the direction in which the Earth revolves, the sun always rises in the east and sets in the west.
Iago’s lie is the pivot on which the play turns.· Health education will have to revolve around the adoption of safer practices.· Much of the instruction revolves around projects that students undertake in teams.· She says her life revolved around the ice rink - she had to fit her personal life in around her skating.· The entire celestial model revolves around the motionless earth once every twenty-four hours.· One of the central contrasts between the two novels revolves around the value of position.· Her life revolves around her children, she said.· The question revolves around whether revenue should have been recognised in the first place, i.e. had a sale taken place at all.· Much of this chapter appears to revolve around learning from adversity.
· An atmospheric piece, revolving round a white shrine to his father, complete with icons and religious objects.· From the tone is dull and lifeless, and no important solo-work revolving round these notes should be given to the clarinet.· It was very undemanding, revolving round the borrowing of clothes, and helping each other with routines.· The room revolved round her and she ran her tongue over suddenly dry lips.· We have seasons that seem to revolve round the grape harvest.· Most thinking on the preservation of houses revolves round major aristocratic seats or ancient manor houses.
· An enormous structure, resembling a Calder mobile, and hung with green and blue lights, revolves slowly.· A disco ball revolved slowly above the empty dance-floor.· As he slowly revolved he observed all points of the compass with eyes wide in wonder.· He remained where he was, slowly revolving to face me, a rotating star to my ellipsis of erratic wandering.· Overhead, the fan revolved slowly.
NOUN· To set the earth revolving around the sun was to set all hell on the move.· C., Aristarchus calculated that the earth revolves around the sun.· Men give ear to an upstart astronomer who tries to show that the Earth revolves, not the Sun and the Moon.
· It revealed an unrepentantly superficial world where life revolved around the minutiae of outward appearances and public display.· The reasoning is that legislators' lives revolve around the election cycles.· Village life still revolves around the squares, the quaysides and the tavernas.· The social life of the village revolved around the club; the clubhouse was like a den.· She says her life revolved around the ice rink - she had to fit her personal life in around her skating.· Her life revolves around her children, she said.· Bob was used to testing people, his whole life revolved around it.· Up to secondary school her life had revolved around the family and the Salvation Army.
· It revealed an unrepentantly superficial world where life revolved around the minutiae of outward appearances and public display.· Am I just so narrow that I believe the world revolves around Kip?· It has taught me that the world doesn't revolve around me.· To me everything in this world revolves around community, school, family, religion, and the Boys & Girls Club.· Mr Kravchuk's trouble is that the world does not revolve round Kiev.· For many people living on their own, their social world may revolve around visits from or to relatives.· Linkage assumed that world politics revolved around the constant struggle for supremacy between the great powers.
The wheel began to revolve. The restaurant slowly revolves, giving excellent views of the city. Using graphics software, you can revolve the image on the screen.revolve around somebody/something (also revolve round somebody/something British English) phrasal verb1[not in progressive] to have something as a main subject or purpose: Jane’s life revolves around her children. The argument revolved around costs. She seems to think that the world revolves around her (=that she is the only important person).2to move in circles around something: The Moon revolves around the Earth.