Meaning & Definition of Rotate in English

1. Turn on or around an axis or a center

• "The earth revolves around the sun"

• "The lamb roast rotates on a spit over the fire"

2. Exchange on a regular basis

• "We rotate the lead soprano every night"

3. Perform a job or duty on a rotating basis

• "Interns have to rotate for a few months"

4. Cause to turn on an axis or center

• "Rotate the handle"

5. Turn outward

• "These birds can splay out their toes"

• "Ballet dancers can rotate their legs out by 90 degrees"

6. Plant or grow in a fixed cyclic order of succession

• "We rotate the crops so as to maximize the use of the soil"