What does "rotor" mean?
A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
Rotor
/ˈɹoʊ.tɚ/ noun
noun ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
- Grammar: rotor is listed as noun.
- Nearest alternatives: airscrew, armature, armatures, carousel.
- Useful contrasts: fixed wing, plaintext wheel, static wing.
- Usage evidence: In helicopters, the cyclic controls the tilt of the main rotor, producing pitch and roll.
How to use "rotor"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "rotor" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "rotor" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "rotor" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "rotor" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "rotor" is acting as noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "airscrew" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "rotor", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.
"Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work."
- 2 rotating mechanism consisting of an assembly of rotating airfoils wordnet
- 3 A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.; In a disc brake, the metal disc attached to the wheel hub.
- 4 the rotating armature of a motor or generator wordnet
- 5 A rotating part of a mechanical device; for example, in an electric motor, generator, alternator, or pump.; The wing of a helicopter or other rotary-wing aircraft.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 the revolving bar of a distributor wordnet
- 7 A type of powerful horizontal-axis atmospheric vortex generated by the interaction of strong winds with mountainous terrain.
"A glider instructor, who had been in the COS area for more than 25 years, was interviewed. He stated that around 1200 on the day of the accident, he observed a rotor hit the ground with estimated wind speeds of 70 to 80 miles per hour."
- 8 A quantity having magnitude, direction, and position.
"These quantities are unit lengths measured anywhere on the axes in the positive directions. They have magnitude, direction, and position, and are thus what I have called rotors (short for rotators) to distinguish them from vectors, which have magnitude and direction but no position."
- 9 The set of cells within an oscillator that switch between being alive and dead over the course of the oscillator's period.
"The following figure shows examples of the most versatile class of these oscillators. The first emulates the p10 shown above; the second has period 62 and a rotor of size 10."
- 10 An amusement park and carnival ride consisting of a rotating cylindrical chamber in which centrifugal force adheres riders to the wall as the floor drops away, creating a sensation of defying gravity.
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
fixed wingplaintext wheelstatic wingstationary part
Example
"In helicopters, the cyclic controls the tilt of the main rotor, producing pitch and roll."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "rotor"?
Common synonyms include: airscrew, armature, armatures, carousel, cipher wheel, code wheel.
How do you use "rotor" in a sentence?
In helicopters, the cyclic controls the tilt of the main rotor, producing pitch and roll.
How do you pronounce "rotor"?
Pronounced /ˈɹoʊ.tɚ/.
Etymology
From an irregular clipping of rotator, originally in mathematics, coined by English mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford based on vector, see quotations. Doublet of rota and ruote.