revolution

/ˈrɛvəˌluʃən/

/rɛvəˈluʃən/

Other forms: revolutions

When a new development in an industry changes everything drastically, call it a revolution. The Internet has certainly caused a revolution in the way people lead their lives.

Stemming from the Latin revolvere "to turn, roll back," revolution originally referred to the circuit of the stars through the sky. Today, it still means circuit when talking about the RPM, or revolutions per minute, in an engine. A revolution is also a drastic change in a field such as the fashion industry or technology, or similarly, a sudden, often violent uprising from the people to change the political system.

Definitions of revolution

1. noun

   a single complete turn (axial or orbital)
   “the revolution of the earth about the sun takes one year”

   synonyms: gyration, rotation

   types:

   clockwise rotation, dextrorotation

   rotation to the right

   counterclockwise rotation, levorotation

   rotation to the left

   axial motion, axial rotation, roll

   rotary motion of an object around its own axis

   orbital motion, orbital rotation

   motion of an object in an orbit around a fixed point

   spin

   a swift whirling motion (usually of a missile)

   backspin

   spin (usually of a moving ball) that retards or reverses the forward motion

   English, side

   (sports) the spin given to a ball by striking it on one side or releasing it with a sharp twist

   topspin

   forward spin (usually of a moving ball) that is imparted by an upward stroke

   wallow

   an indolent or clumsy rolling about

   type of:

   turn, turning

   a movement in a new direction
2. noun

   the overthrow of a government by those who are governed
   examples:

   American War of Independence

   the revolution of the American Colonies against Great Britain; 1775-1783

   Chinese Revolution

   the republican revolution against the Manchu dynasty in China; 1911-1912

   Cuban Revolution

   the revolution led by Fidel Castro and a small band of guerrilla fighters against a corrupt dictatorship in Cuba; 1956-1959

   Bloodless Revolution

   the revolution against James II; there was little armed resistance to William and Mary in England although battles were fought in Scotland and Ireland (1688-1689)

   French Revolution

   the revolution in France against the Bourbons; 1789-1799

   Mexican Revolution

   a revolution for agrarian reforms led in northern Mexico by Pancho Villa and in southern Mexico by Emiliano Zapata (1910-1911)

   February Revolution

   the revolution against the czarist government which led to the abdication of Nicholas II and the creation of a provisional government in March 1917

   types:

   counterrevolution

   a revolution whose aim is to reverse the changes introduced by a previous revolution

   type of:

   group action

   action taken by a group of people
3. noun

   a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
   “the industrial revolution was also a cultural revolution”

   types:

   Cultural Revolution, Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

   a radical reform in China initiated by Mao Zedong in 1965 and carried out largely by the Red Guard; intended to eliminate counterrevolutionary elements in the government it resulted in purges of the intellectuals and socioeconomic chaos

   green revolution

   the introduction of pesticides and high-yield grains and better management during the 1960s and 1970s which greatly increased agricultural productivity

   type of:

   alteration, change, modification

   an event that occurs when something passes from one state or phase to another