revolve
gb/ɹivˈɑlv/ us/ɹivˈɑlv/
B2
Anglais
~ 8500
Sens
0 sens
Verbe
B2
action
1
to center or focus on something
To be mainly about one thing or person, or to depend mostly on it, especially in the phrase "revolve around."
Schéma d’usage :
[something] revolves around [something/someone]
Erreur fréquente :
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."
Synonymes
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.)
Antonymes
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.)
Collocations
revolves around the idea
|revolves around money
|revolves around her
|story revolves around
|life revolves around
Thèmes
communication
|thinking
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The plot revolves around a young lawyer who uncovers a secret.
- Most of our arguments revolve around money and how to spend it.
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The movie revolves around a love story.
- Our meeting will revolve around the new project.
- Her work revolves around helping sick children.
- The class today will revolve around grammar.
- His day revolves around his job.
Verbe
B2
action
2
to move in orbit around something
To move around another thing in a circle or in an almost circle, especially when talking about planets, moons, or satellites.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] revolves around [something]
Erreur fréquente :
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.
Synonymes
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.")
Antonymes
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.)
Collocations
revolves around the sun
|planets revolve in orbit
|moon revolves around the Earth
|satellite revolves around the planet
|system revolves about its center
Thèmes
science
|space
|education
Exemples
- The Earth revolves around the Sun once every year.
- Many satellites revolve around our planet in carefully planned orbits.
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The Earth revolves around the Sun.
- The moon revolves around our planet.
- Small satellites revolve around the Earth.
- These planets revolve around a distant star.
- The model shows how the planets revolve around the Sun.
Verbe
B2
action
3
to turn around a central axis
To turn around and around on a central point, like a wheel or a chair turning.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] revolves
Erreur fréquente :
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."
Synonymes
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.)
Antonymes
stay still (General opposite, not moving at all.)
|
remain fixed (Emphasizes that the object does not turn around any axis.)
Collocations
wheels revolve
|chair revolves
|door revolves slowly
|platform revolves
|shaft revolves rapidly
Thèmes
technology
|physical_world
|science
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The wheels began to revolve as the train pulled away from the station.
- A small motor makes the platform revolve so all sides of the product can be seen.
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The big wheel slowly revolves.
- This office chair can revolve.
- The small motor makes the fan blades revolve.
- The door revolves when you push it.
- The machine stops when the drum does not revolve.
Verbe
literary
C1
action
4
to turn an idea over in the mind
To think about the same idea many times, often carefully or with worry.
Schéma d’usage :
[something] revolves in [someone]'s mind
Erreur fréquente :
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.
Synonymes
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.)
Antonymes
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.)
Collocations
revolved in his mind
|revolved in her thoughts
|revolve the matter in your mind
|the question revolved in my head
Thèmes
emotions
|thinking
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The same troubling question revolved in his mind all night.
- She let the idea revolve in her thoughts before giving an answer.
- 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The question revolved in his mind all night.
- Her mistake revolved in her thoughts for many days.
- 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.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
revolve
API
GB/ɹivˈɑlv/
US/ɹivˈɑlv/
Syllabes et accentuation
re - volve (2 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (volve)
Formes du mot
Verb
- Base: revolve
- 3rd Person Singular: revolves
- Present Participle: revolving
- Past: revolved
Famille de mots
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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.
Exemples
- 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.