# revolution

/ˌɹɛvəˈɫuʃən/ (US) · /ɹˌɛvəlˈuːʃən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/revolution
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. political upheaval

noun · CEFR B2

the removal of a government by force and its replacement with a new system.

For teachers: the forcible overthrow of a government or social order in favour of a new system.

- The country's revolution led to a new constitution and free elections.
- The political revolution of the late eighteenth century fundamentally altered the relationship between the state and its citizens across the continent.

### 2. major social change

noun · CEFR B2

a very big change in the way people do things or think about the world.

For teachers: a sudden, radical, or complete change in a system, discipline, or way of life.

- The digital revolution has changed how we communicate with each other.
- The industrial revolution triggered a massive migration from rural farming communities to rapidly expanding urban manufacturing centres.

### 3. orbital motion

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the movement of one object around another, like the Earth around the Sun.

For teachers: the movement of an object in a circular or elliptical course around a central point or another body.

- The Earth takes one year to complete its revolution around the Sun.
- Astronomers calculated the planet's period of revolution by observing its position relative to distant background stars over several months.

### 4. a single turn

noun · CEFR B2

one complete turn of a wheel or a part of a machine.

For teachers: a single complete turn of a wheel or a cylinder around an axis.

- The engine was running at three thousand revolutions per minute.
- The technician monitored the revolutions of the turbine to ensure the vibrations remained within safe operational limits during the test.

## Examples

- The invention of the internet caused a revolution in how we communicate.
- The citizens started a revolution to overthrow the corrupt king and establish a democratic government.
- While the industrial revolution brought unprecedented economic growth, it also introduced severe labour exploitation and environmental degradation that took decades of legislative reform to address.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.