rev — English Dictionary

Verb

1. To increase the speed of a motor, or to operate at a higher speed.

   Usage

   • ergative

   Examples

   He revved the engine in a rather macho style.

   You could hear the engines revving from a mile away.

   More examples (2)

   Two in a row, everybody knows at the green light you rev it on the red line.

   It is impossible to see inside the mind of a killer. What was he thinking, the young man who sat at the wheel of the white van at the top of Las Ramblas and purposefully revved the engine? What warped ideology, what distorted belief system, what bitter life experience had brought him to this fateful tipping point?

Noun

1. rate of revolution of a motor

   Synonyms

   revolutions per minuterpm

   Broader terms

   rate

   Examples

   the engine was doing 6000 revs

Verb

1. increase the number of rotations per minute

   Synonyms

   rev up

   Broader terms

   increase

   Examples

   rev up an engine