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rotation

noun
ro·​ta·​tion | \ rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio) \

Definition of rotation

1a(1) : the action or process of rotating on or as if on an axis or center
(2) : the act or an instance of rotating something
b : one complete turn : the angular displacement required to return a rotating body or figure to its original orientation
2a : return or succession in a series rotation of the seasons
b : crop rotation
3 : the turning of a body part about its long axis as if on a pivot
4 : a game of pool in which all 15 object balls are shot in numerical order
5 : the series of pitchers on a baseball team who regularly start successive games in turn
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Other Words from rotation

rotational \ rō-​ˈtā-​shnəl How to pronounce rotational (audio) , -​shə-​nᵊl \ adjective

Examples of rotation in a Sentence

the rotation of the Earth around its axis the rotation of the Moon around the Earth The Earth makes one rotation every day. Alfalfa and corn are planted in rotation. the rotation of the job of club president The car needs a tire rotation.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 As young arms including Tyler Beede, Shaun Anderson and Dereck Rodríguez have struggled to provide the Giants rotation with consistency, Bumgarner’s starts have taken on an even greater sense of importance this year. — Kerry Crowley, The Mercury News, "Farhan Zaidi discusses possibility of re-signing Madison Bumgarner," 30 Aug. 2019 While the rotation occurred at almost exactly the same time as last year, any PLA movements are tightly scrutinized for suggestions the military could be deployed to Hong Kong's streets to tackle the ongoing unrest. — James Griffiths, CNN, "Chinese military's routine rotation of new troops to Hong Kong garrison raises alarm," 29 Aug. 2019 Briefly: Bochy confirmed Johnny Cueto will pitch one more rehab game, Saturday with Triple-A Sacramento, before joining the Giants’ rotation. — John Shea, SFChronicle.com, "Giants’ Bruce Bochy bats Buster Posey lower in lineup," 29 Aug. 2019 Flavors change each month, with fans eagerly awaiting their favorite to make its way through the rotation. — Tirion Morris, azcentral, "This is the best fast food restaurant in Arizona, according to Food & Wine magazine," 28 Aug. 2019 But the Carr fire also had shear winds: large air currents, blowing in opposite directions, that produced rotation at their interface. — Wired, "Behold the Firenado's Twisting, Infernal Column of Flames," 28 Aug. 2019 Blue Bell has added another flavor to its rotation list - for a limited time. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Blue Bell releases new flavor for limited time," 26 Aug. 2019 The Yankees were looking for a solid rotation contributor. — Dave Clark, Cincinnati.com, "MLB Network's Brian Kenny: Cincinnati Reds' Sonny Gray 'is a very different pitcher'," 26 Aug. 2019 Two rotations later and the hosts were one point away from knotting the match at a game apiece. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "FBCA tops FCA in showdown of city’s private school volleyball programs," 23 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rotation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of rotation

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

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More Definitions for rotation

rotation

noun
How to pronounce rotation (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of rotation

: the act or process of moving or turning around a central point
: a complete turn around a central point
: the act of regularly changing something by replacing it with something else

See the full definition for rotation in the English Language Learners Dictionary

rotation

noun
ro·​ta·​tion | \ rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio) \

Kids Definition of rotation

1 : the act of turning about an axis
2 : the system of growing different crops in the same field usually in a regular order

rotation

noun
ro·​ta·​tion | \ rō-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce rotation (audio) \

Medical Definition of rotation

: the action or process of rotating on or as if on an axis or center specifically : the turning of a body part about its long axis as if on a pivot rotation of the head to look over the shoulder

Other Words from rotation

rotational \ -​shnəl, -​shən-​ᵊl How to pronounce rotational (audio) \ adjective

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