Swing vs. Rotate — What's the Difference?

A type of dance or music characterized by a lively rhythm.

To alternate positions or duties systematically.

A to-and-fro or sidewise movement.

To circulate or pass from one to another.

A seat suspended from above for swinging.

Movement through a circle or part of a circle.

To move freely around a fixed point.

To turn around an internal or external axis.

To change direction or opinion easily.

To cause something to spin.

Move or cause to move back and forth or from side to side while suspended or on an axis

To turn around on an axis or center.

Move by grasping a support from below and leaping

To proceed in sequence; take turns or alternate

Move or cause to move in a smooth, curving line

To cause to turn on an axis or center.

Shift or cause to shift from one opinion, mood, or state of affairs to another

To plant or grow (crops) in a fixed order of succession.

Play music with a flowing but vigorous rhythm

To cause to alternate or proceed in sequence

(of an event, place, or way of life) be lively, exciting, or fashionable.

Having radiating parts; wheel-shaped.

A seat suspended by ropes or chains, on which someone may sit and swing back and forth.

(intransitive) To spin, turn, or revolve.

An act of swinging

(intransitive) To advance through a sequence; to take turns.

A discernible change in opinion, especially the amount by which votes or points scored change from one side to another

To lift the nose during takeoff, just prior to liftoff.

A style of jazz or dance music with a flowing but vigorous rhythm.

(transitive) To spin, turn, or revolve something.

A swift tour involving a number of stops, especially one undertaken as part of a political campaign.

(transitive) To advance something through a sequence; to allocate or deploy in turns.

(in musical theatre) an understudy, typically one who covers multiple roles in the chorus of a particular production.

(transitive) To replace older materials or to place older materials in front of newer ones so that older ones get used first.

To move back and forth suspended or as if suspended from above.

(transitive) To grow or plant (crops) in a certain order.

To hit at something with a sweeping motion of the arm

Having the parts spreading out like a wheel; wheel-shaped.

To move laterally or in a curve

Having the parts spreading out like a wheel; wheel-shaped; as, a rotate spicule or scale; a rotate corolla, i.e., a monopetalous corolla with a flattish border, and no tube or a very short one.

To turn in place on or as if on a hinge or pivot.

To turn, as a wheel, round an axis; to revolve.

To move along with an easy, swaying gait

To perform any act, function, or operation in turn, to hold office in turn; as, to rotate in office.

To propel oneself from one place or position to another by grasping a fixed support

To cause to turn round or revolve, as a wheel around an axle.

To ride on a swing.

To cause to succeed in turn; esp., to cause to succeed some one, or to be succeeded by some one, in office.

To shift from one attitude, interest, condition, or emotion to another; vacillate.

Turn on or around an axis or a center;

To have a subtle, intuitively felt rhythm or sense of rhythm.

Exchange on a regular basis;

To play with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.

Cause to turn on an axis or center;

To cause to move back and forth, as on a swing.

Perform a job or duty on a rotating basis;

To cause to move in a broad arc or curve

Turn outward;

To cause to move with a sweeping motion

Plant or grow in a fixed cyclic order of succession;

To lift and convey with a sweeping motion

To suspend so as to sway or turn freely

To suspend on hinges

To cause to turn on hinges

To cause to shift from one attitude, position, opinion, or condition to another.

To manage or arrange successfully

To bring around to the desired result

(Music) To play (music) with a subtle, intuitively felt sense of rhythm.

The act or an instance of swinging; movement back and forth or in one particular direction.

The sweep or scope of something that swings

A blow or stroke executed with a sweeping motion of the arm.

The manner in which one swings something, such as a bat or golf club.

A shift from one attitude, position, or condition to another

Freedom of action

A swaying, graceful motion

A sweep back and forth

A course or tour that returns to the starting point

A seat suspended from above, as by ropes, on which one can ride back and forth for recreation.

The normal rhythm of life or pace of activities

A steady, vigorous rhythm or movement, as in verse.

A regular movement up or down, as in stock prices.

A type of popular dance music developed about 1935 and based on jazz but employing a larger band, less improvisation, and simpler harmonic and rhythmic patterns.

A ballroom dance performed to this music.

A subtle, intuitively felt rhythmic quality or sense of rhythm.

(Music) Relating to or performing swing

Determining an outcome; decisive

(intransitive) To rotate about an off-centre fixed point.

(intransitive) To dance.

(intransitive) To ride on a swing.

(intransitive) To participate in the swinging lifestyle; to participate in wife-swapping.

(intransitive) To hang from the gallows; to be punished by hanging, swing for something or someone; (often hyperbolic) to be severely punished.

To move sideways in its trajectory.

To make the ball move sideways in its trajectory.

(intransitive) To fluctuate or change.

(transitive) To move (an object) backward and forward; to wave.

(transitive) To change (a numerical result); especially to change the outcome of an election.

(transitive) To make (something) work; especially to afford (something) financially.

To play notes that are in pairs by making the first of the pair slightly longer than written (augmentation) and the second shorter, resulting in a bouncy, uneven rhythm.

To move one's arm in a punching motion.

(transitive) In dancing, to turn around in a small circle with one's partner, holding hands or arms.

To admit or turn something for the purpose of shaping it; said of a lathe.

To put (a door, gate, etc.) on hinges so that it can swing or turn.

(nautical) To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor.

The manner in which something is swung.

The sweep or compass of a swinging body.

A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing.

A hanging seat in a children's playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing.

A dance style.

(music) The genre of music associated with this dance style.

The amount of change towards or away from something.

(politics) In an election, the increase or decrease in the number of votes for opposition parties compared with votes for the incumbent party.

(cricket) Sideways movement of the ball as it flies through the air.

Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.

In a musical theater production, a performer who understudies several roles.

A basic dance step in which a pair link hands and turn round together in a circle.

(obsolete) Free course; unrestrained liberty.

Influence or power of anything put in motion.

(boxing) A type of hook with the arm more extended.

To move to and fro, as a body suspended in the air; to wave; to vibrate; to oscillate.

To sway or move from one side or direction to another; as, the door swung open.

To turn round by action of wind or tide when at anchor; as, a ship swings with the tide.

To be hanged.

To cause to swing or vibrate; to cause to move backward and forward, or from one side to the other.

To give a circular movement to; to whirl; to brandish; as, to swing a sword; to swing a club; hence, colloquially, to manage; as, to swing a business.

To admit or turn (anything) for the purpose of shaping it; - said of a lathe; as, the lathe can swing a pulley of 12 inches diameter.

The act of swinging; a waving, oscillating, or vibratory motion of a hanging or pivoted object; oscillation; as, the swing of a pendulum.

Swaying motion from one side or direction to the other; as, some men walk with a swing.

A line, cord, or other thing suspended and hanging loose, upon which anything may swing; especially, an apparatus for recreation by swinging, commonly consisting of a rope, the two ends of which are attached overhead, as to the bough of a tree, a seat being placed in the loop at the bottom; also, any contrivance by which a similar motion is produced for amusement or exercise.

Influence of power of a body put in swaying motion.

Capacity of a turning lathe, as determined by the diameter of the largest object that can be turned in it.

Free course; unrestrained liberty or license; tendency.

A state of steady vigorous action that is characteristic of an activity;

Mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth

A sweeping blow or stroke;

Changing location by moving back and forth

A style of jazz played by big bands popular in the 1930s; flowing rhythms but less complex than later styles of jazz

A jaunty rhythm in music

The act of swinging a golf club at a golf ball and (usually) hitting it

In baseball; a batter's attempt to hit a pitched ball;

A square dance figure; a pair of dancers join hands and dance around a point between them

Move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting;

Move or walk in a swinging or swaying manner;

Change direction with a swinging motion; turn;

Influence decisively;

Make a big sweeping gesture or movement

Hang freely;

Hit or aim at with a sweeping arm movement;

Alternate dramatically between high and low values;

Live in a lively, modern, and relaxed style;

Have a certain musical rhythm;

Be a social swinger; socialize a lot

Play with a subtle and intuitively felt sense of rhythm

Gravity and momentum are the primary forces in swinging motions.

Swing is usually limited to a specific arc, whereas rotation can encompass a full 360 degrees or more.

Yes, a yo-yo swings at the end of its string and rotates as it spins up and down.

Yes, rotation can occur around any axis, either horizontal, vertical, or tilted.

Earth's rotation causes the sun to appear to rise and set, defining day and night.

Ball bearings and roller bearings are commonly used in devices that require rotation.

Momentum helps maintain the swing's motion after it has been initiated.

From computer hard drives to kitchen blenders, rotation is a fundamental movement.

Yes, mechanical systems like cranes and robot arms often use powered swing movements.

Figure skating, gymnastics, and discus throw heavily rely on precise rotating movements.

Engineers use well-lubricated bearings and precisely aligned axles.

A golf swing is a classic example, where the club moves in a broad arc.

Ensuring strong, stable pivots and avoiding excessive speeds are crucial for safety.

They illustrate simple harmonic motion when swinging at small angles, showing periodic behavior.

Torque is the force that initiates and maintains rotation around an axis.