revolve
gb/ɹivˈɑlv/ us/ɹivˈɑlv/
B2
English
~ 8500
valaki/valami körül forog, középpontjában áll, kering, forog, rágódik, töpreng
VERB
B2
1
Usage pattern:
[something] revolves around [something/someone]
The plot revolves around a young lawyer who uncovers a secret.
A cselekmény középpontjában egy fiatal ügyvéd áll, aki leleplez egy titkot.
Most of our arguments revolve around money and how to spend it.
Legtöbb vitánk a pénz körül forog, és akörül, hogy mire költsük.
Her research revolves around climate change and public policy.
Their entire business model revolves around subscription fees.
Much of his life revolves around caring for his parents.
Learner examples
The movie revolves around a love story.
A film egy szerelmi történet körül forog.
Our meeting will revolve around the new project.
A megbeszélésünk középpontjában az új projekt áll majd.
Her work revolves around helping sick children.
The class today will revolve around grammar.
His day revolves around his job.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"revolve on"* or *"revolve about"* in this abstract sense. In modern English, the usual phrase for this meaning is "revolve around" or "center on." They may also confuse it with "evolve," which means "to develop" or "to change slowly," not "to be about."
Meaning
to center or focus on something
Collocations
revolves around the idea
|revolves around money
|revolves around her
|story revolves around
|life revolves around
Synonyms
center on (Very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday speech than "revolve around.")
|
focus on (Emphasizes giving attention to something rather than general subject matter.)
Antonyms
have nothing to do with (Stresses a complete lack of connection or relevance.)
|
be irrelevant to (Highlights that something is not important or central to the topic.)
Themes
communication
|thinking
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To be mainly about one thing or person, or to depend mostly on it, especially in the phrase "revolve around."
To have something or someone as the main subject, focus, or reason, especially in phrases like "revolve around."
VERB
B2
2
kering
B1
Usage pattern:
[something] revolves around [something]
The Earth revolves around the Sun once every year.
A Föld egy év alatt kerüli meg a Napot.
Many satellites revolve around our planet in carefully planned orbits.
Sok műhold gondosan megtervezett pályán kering a bolygónk körül.
In this model, each electron is shown as a small sphere that revolves around the nucleus.
The moon revolves around the Earth approximately every 27 days.
These asteroids revolve around the Sun in a wide belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Learner examples
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
A Föld a Nap körül kering.
The moon revolves around our planet.
A Hold a bolygónk körül kering.
Small satellites revolve around the Earth.
These planets revolve around a distant star.
The model shows how the planets revolve around the Sun.
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "rotate" and "revolve" in scientific contexts. In strict usage, an object "rotates" when it spins on its own axis, and it "revolves" when it moves around another object. In everyday English the distinction is not always kept, but science classes usually teach this difference.
Meaning
to move in orbit around something
Collocations
revolves around the sun
|planets revolve in orbit
|moon revolves around the Earth
|satellite revolves around the planet
|system revolves about its center
Synonyms
orbit (The standard scientific term; often slightly more technical and common than "revolve" in astronomy.)
|
go around (More informal and general; lacks the precise scientific feel of "revolve.")
Antonyms
remain stationary (Emphasizes that something does not move around another object at all.)
|
stay fixed in place (Focuses on the lack of circular movement relative to another object.)
Themes
science
|space
|education
Definition
To move around another thing in a circle or in an almost circle, especially when talking about planets, moons, or satellites.
To move in a circular or elliptical path around another object, especially in space, without changing the distance very much.
VERB
B2
3
forog
A2
Usage pattern:
[something] revolves
The wheels began to revolve as the train pulled away from the station.
A kerekek forogni kezdtek, amikor a vonat kigördült az állomásról.
A small motor makes the platform revolve so all sides of the product can be seen.
Egy kis motor forgatja az állványt, hogy a termék minden oldala látható legyen.
The chair can revolve, allowing you to turn toward the door or the window.
As the handle is turned, the internal shaft revolves and moves the mechanism.
The sculpture slowly revolves, changing how the light falls on it.
Learner examples
The big wheel slowly revolves.
A nagy kerék lassan forog.
This office chair can revolve.
Ez az irodai szék körbe tud forogni.
The small motor makes the fan blades revolve.
The door revolves when you push it.
The machine stops when the drum does not revolve.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "revolve" transitively in this sense (*"He revolved the chair"*) where native speakers more often say "He turned the chair" or "He spun the chair." In modern English, "revolve" in this sense is usually intransitive: the object itself "revolves."
Meaning
to turn around a central axis
Collocations
wheels revolve
|chair revolves
|door revolves slowly
|platform revolves
|shaft revolves rapidly
Synonyms
rotate (Very close in meaning and often interchangeable; slightly more technical in some contexts.)
|
spin (Suggests faster or lighter turning than "revolve" and is common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
stay still (General opposite, not moving at all.)
|
remain fixed (Emphasizes that the object does not turn around any axis.)
Themes
technology
|physical_world
|science
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To turn around and around on a central point, like a wheel or a chair turning.
To spin or turn around a central point or axis, often repeatedly and smoothly.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
4
Usage pattern:
[something] revolves in [someone]'s mind
The same troubling question revolved in his mind all night.
Egész éjjel ugyanazon a nyugtalanító kérdésen rágódott.
She let the idea revolve in her thoughts before giving an answer.
Mielőtt választ adott volna, még töprengett egy ideig az ötleten.
For days, the conversation revolved in my head, and I kept wondering what I should have said.
He spent the afternoon letting different possibilities revolve in his mind.
The problem revolved in her thoughts until she finally found a solution.
Learner examples
The question revolved in his mind all night.
Egész éjjel a kérdésen rágódott.
Her mistake revolved in her thoughts for many days.
Napokig a hibáján rágódott.
The plan kept revolving in my head as I walked home.
That memory still revolves in my mind.
The idea revolved in his mind before he spoke.
Common mistake:
This sense is less common and sounds literary. Learners may overuse it in everyday speech where simpler verbs like "think about," "worry about," or "keep thinking about" are more natural.
Meaning
to turn an idea over in the mind
Collocations
revolved in his mind
|revolved in her thoughts
|revolve the matter in your mind
|the question revolved in my head
Synonyms
ponder (Very close in meaning but more common; suggests calm, careful thinking.)
|
brood over (Suggests dark or unhappy repeated thinking, often with worry or sadness.)
Antonyms
dismiss (To decide not to think about something anymore, the opposite of turning it over repeatedly.)
|
ignore (To pay no attention to something instead of thinking about it again and again.)
Themes
emotions
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To think about the same idea many times, often carefully or with worry.
To think about something again and again, often carefully or with worry, as if turning it over in the mind.
Grammar
Dictionary form
revolve
IPA
GB/ɹivˈɑlv/
US/ɹivˈɑlv/
Syllables & stress
re - volve (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (volve)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: revolve
- 3rd Person Singular: revolves
- Present Participle: revolving
- Past: revolved
Word family
Forms
revolves
verb
revolving
verb
revolved
verb
Core family
revolution
noun B1
revolutionary
adjective B2
Related words
revolver
noun B2
Advanced or less common
Expressions
life revolves around [something]
1/lˈaɪf ɹivˈɑlvz ɚˈaʊnd sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
to organize life mainly around something
To have most of your time and energy used for one main thing.
Examples
- At this stage, her life revolves around work.
- In that town, everything revolves around the local football team.
revolve around
1/ɹivˈɑlv ɚˈaʊnd/
phrasal verb
to have something as the main focus
To be mainly about one thing or person, or to depend very much on it.
Examples
- The discussion will revolve around budget cuts and how to handle them.
- Several small moons revolve around the distant planet.
- Their holiday plans revolve around the children’s school schedule.
- The model shows how the planets revolve around the Sun.
the world revolves around [someone/something]
1/ðə wˈɚld ɹivˈɑlvz ɚˈaʊnd sˈoʊmˈoʊnsəmˈɛθɪŋ/
idiom
to see someone as the center of everything
To think that someone or something is the most important thing in life, and that everything should be for them.
Examples
- He acts like the world revolves around him and never thinks about other people.
- For many parents, it can feel as if the world revolves around their children.