revved; revving
1
a
: to step up the number of revolutions per minute of
—often used with up
rev up the engine
b
: increase
—used with up
rev up production
2
: to drive or operate especially at high speed
—often used with up
3
: to make more active or effective
—used with up
revving up the economy
4
: to stir up : excite
—usually used with up
revved up the kids before bedtime
1
: to operate at an increased speed of revolution
—usually used with up
2
: to increase in amount or activity
—usually used with up
the campaign revved up
3
: to become more excited especially in anticipation
—usually used with up
the partygoers were revving up
1
revenue
2
reverse
3
review; reviewed
4
revised; revision
5
revolution
1
Revelation
2
reverend
Examples of rev in a Sentence
Verb
the team was revved up by the coach's do-or-die locker room speech
Recent Examples on the Web
New Atlas, 26 Apr. 2025
Most staffers at the Power 4 conferences are expecting about 15 percent of their schools’ rev share budget — around $3 million for a school spending to the cap across all sports — to go toward men’s basketball.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
To keep telecom’s R&D engine rooms revving, research teams around the world have innovated a seemingly endless succession of technologies to expand bandwidth rates, such as 2G’s move to digital cell networks, 3G’s enhanced data-transfer capabilities, and 5G’s low-latency wireless connectivity.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rev
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The Dark Matter weighs a mere 86 lb (39 kg) and delivers 800 hp (600 kW) with 922 lb-ft of face-melting torque (1,250 Nm) and a max rev of 8,500 RPM.
—New Atlas, 26 Apr. 2025
Most staffers at the Power 4 conferences are expecting about 15 percent of their schools’ rev share budget — around $3 million for a school spending to the cap across all sports — to go toward men’s basketball.
—Cj Moore, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
But tractable torque delivery of 324 lb-ft, which hits at 5,800 rpm, makes the process of revving and gearshifting an absolute pleasure.
—Michael Teo Van Runkle, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025
To keep telecom’s R&D engine rooms revving, research teams around the world have innovated a seemingly endless succession of technologies to expand bandwidth rates, such as 2G’s move to digital cell networks, 3G’s enhanced data-transfer capabilities, and 5G’s low-latency wireless connectivity.
—IEEE Spectrum, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rev
Cite this Entry
“Rev.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rev. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rev
1 of 2 noun
: a revolution of a motor
rev
2 of 2 verb
revved; revving
1
a
: to increase the revolutions per minute of (a motor)
b
: increase
—used with up
rev up production
2
: to make more active or effective
—used with up
needed to rev up the campaign
3
: excite sense 1
—usually used with up
revved the kids up
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