revolution

[ rev-uh–loo-shuhn ]

SEE SYNONYMS FOR revolution ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.

Sociology. a radical and pervasive change in society and the social structure, especially one made suddenly and often accompanied by violence.Compare social evolution.

a sudden, complete or marked change in something:the present revolution in church architecture.

a procedure or course, as if in a circuit, back to a starting point.

a single turn of this kind.

Mechanics.

a turning round or rotating, as on an axis.
a moving in a circular or curving course, as about a central point.
a single cycle in such a course.

VIDEO FOR REVOLUTION

WATCH NOW: Why Are Only Some Wars Called “Revolutions”?

There’s a reason why some wars include the word revolution in their names and why others don’t. Is it because revolutions completely overhaul the old way of doing things, they inspire something new in all of us?

QUIZZES

UNEARTH YOUR VOCABULARY SKILLS WITH THESE WORDS FROM HOLES

Have you experienced the adventure of crime, punishment, and onions that makes up Holes, by Louis Sachar? If so, see if you can dig up the meanings of these vocab words from the popular novel.

QUESTION 1 OF 10

stifling

rigid or firm; difficult or impossible to bend or flex

suffocating; oppressively close

of very little importance; trivial; insignificant

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

ORIGIN OF REVOLUTION

1350–1400; Middle English revolucion < Late Latin revolūtiōn- (stem of revolūtiō), equivalent to revolūt(us) (see revolute) + -iōn--ion

SYNONYMS FOR REVOLUTION

5cycle, circuit, round, rotation.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR revolution ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM REVOLUTION

an·ti·rev·o·lu·tion, adjectivenon·rev·o·lu·tion, nounpost·rev·o·lu·tion, adjectivepro·rev·o·lu·tion, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH REVOLUTION

rebellion revolt revolution

WORDS NEARBY REVOLUTION

revoice, revoke, revolt, revolting, revolute, revolution, revolution counter, revolutionary, revolutionary calendar, revolutionary war, revolutionary wars

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EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM THE WEB FOR REVOLUTION

The New York governor was the foremost Democrat to stand athwart the Reagan Revolution.

MARIO CUOMO, A FRUSTRATING HERO TO DEMOCRATS, IS DEAD AT 82|ELEANOR CLIFT|JANUARY 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In response, the April Revolution protests erupted in much of the country.

PROPAGANDA, PROTEST, AND POISONOUS VIPERS: THE CINEMA WAR IN KOREA|RICH GOLDSTEIN|DECEMBER 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But those few protestors were an indicator of how much has changed since the Cuban Revolution of 1959.

AGING CUBAN EXILES AND THEIR LAWMAKERS BYPASSED BY WHITE HOUSE|ROMINA RUIZ-GOIRIENA|DECEMBER 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This penchant for medical internationalism goes back to the greatest icon of the revolution, Ernesto “Che” Guevara.

THE DARK SIDE OF CUBA’S EBOLA ECONOMY|JAMES BLOODWORTH|DECEMBER 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR REVOLUTION

revolution

/ (ˌrɛvəˈluːʃən) /

noun

the overthrow or repudiation of a regime or political system by the governed

(in Marxist theory) the violent and historically necessary transition from one system of production in a society to the next, as from feudalism to capitalism

a far-reaching and drastic change, esp in ideas, methods, etc

movement in or as if in a circle
one complete turn in such a circlea turntable rotating at 33 revolutions per minute

the orbital motion of one body, such as a planet or satellite, around anotherCompare rotation (def. 5a)
one complete turn in such motion

a cycle of successive events or changes

WORD ORIGIN FOR REVOLUTION

C14: via Old French from Late Latin revolūtiō, from Latin revolvere to revolve

COLLINS ENGLISH DICTIONARY – COMPLETE & UNABRIDGED 2012 DIGITAL EDITION © WILLIAM COLLINS SONS & CO. LTD. 1979, 1986 © HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

SCIENTIFIC DEFINITIONS FOR REVOLUTION

revolution

[ rĕv′ə-lōō′shən ]

The motion of an object around a point, especially around another object or a center of mass.

A single complete cycle of such motion.

USAGE

In everyday speech revolution and rotation are often used as synonyms, but in science they are not synonyms and have distinct meanings. The difference between the two terms lies in the location of the central axis that the object turns about. If the axis is outside the body itself-that is, if the object is orbiting about another object-then one complete orbit is called arevolution. But if the object is turning about an axis that passes through itself, then one complete cycle is called a rotation. This difference is often summed up in the statement Earth rotates on its axis and revolves around the Sun.

See TheSynonymOf The Day

revolution

noun

VIDEO FOR REVOLUTION

WATCH NOW: Why Are Only Some Wars Called “Revolutions”?

QUIZZES

UNEARTH YOUR VOCABULARY SKILLS WITH THESE WORDS FROM HOLES

ORIGIN OF REVOLUTION

SYNONYMS FOR REVOLUTION

OTHER WORDS FROM REVOLUTION

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH REVOLUTION

WORDS NEARBY REVOLUTION

WORDS RELATED TO REVOLUTION

EXAMPLE SENTENCES FROM THE WEB FOR REVOLUTION

BRITISH DICTIONARY DEFINITIONS FOR REVOLUTION

noun

WORD ORIGIN FOR REVOLUTION

SCIENTIFIC DEFINITIONS FOR REVOLUTION

USAGE