diff --git a/django/db/models/query.py b/django/db/models/query.py
index 4480add93c..5db2219126 100644
--- a/django/db/models/query.py
+++ b/django/db/models/query.py
@@ -33,14 +33,14 @@ REPR_OUTPUT_SIZE = 20
 EmptyResultSet = sql.EmptyResultSet
 
 
-class BaseIterator(object):
+class BaseIterable(object):
     def __init__(self, queryset):
         self.queryset = queryset
 
 
-class ModelIterator(BaseIterator):
+class ModelIterable(BaseIterable):
     """
-    Iterator that yields a model instance for each row.
+    Iterable that yields a model instance for each row.
     """
 
     def __iter__(self):
@@ -91,9 +91,9 @@ class ModelIterator(BaseIterator):
             yield obj
 
 
-class ValuesIterator(BaseIterator):
+class ValuesIterable(BaseIterable):
     """
-    Iterator returned by QuerySet.values() that yields a dict
+    Iterable returned by QuerySet.values() that yields a dict
     for each row.
     """
 
@@ -113,9 +113,9 @@ class ValuesIterator(BaseIterator):
             yield dict(zip(names, row))
 
 
-class ValuesListIterator(BaseIterator):
+class ValuesListIterable(BaseIterable):
     """
-    Iterator returned by QuerySet.values_lists(flat=False)
+    Iterable returned by QuerySet.values_lists(flat=False)
     that yields a tuple for each row.
     """
 
@@ -146,9 +146,9 @@ class ValuesListIterator(BaseIterator):
                 yield tuple(data[f] for f in fields)
 
 
-class FlatValuesListIterator(BaseIterator):
+class FlatValuesListIterable(BaseIterable):
     """
-    Iterator returned by QuerySet.values_lists(flat=True) that
+    Iterable returned by QuerySet.values_lists(flat=True) that
     yields single values.
     """
 
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ class QuerySet(object):
         self._prefetch_related_lookups = []
         self._prefetch_done = False
         self._known_related_objects = {}  # {rel_field, {pk: rel_obj}}
-        self._iterator_class = ModelIterator
+        self._iterable_class = ModelIterable
         self._fields = None
 
     def as_manager(cls):
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ class QuerySet(object):
         An iterator over the results from applying this QuerySet to the
         database.
         """
-        return self._iterator_class(self)
+        return iter(self._iterable_class(self))
 
     def aggregate(self, *args, **kwargs):
         """
@@ -708,7 +708,7 @@ class QuerySet(object):
 
     def values(self, *fields):
         clone = self._values(*fields)
-        clone._iterator_class = ValuesIterator
+        clone._iterable_class = ValuesIterable
         return clone
 
     def values_list(self, *fields, **kwargs):
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ class QuerySet(object):
             raise TypeError("'flat' is not valid when values_list is called with more than one field.")
 
         clone = self._values(*fields)
-        clone._iterator_class = FlatValuesListIterator if flat else ValuesListIterator
+        clone._iterable_class = FlatValuesListIterable if flat else ValuesListIterable
         return clone
 
     def dates(self, field_name, kind, order='ASC'):
@@ -1061,7 +1061,7 @@ class QuerySet(object):
         clone._for_write = self._for_write
         clone._prefetch_related_lookups = self._prefetch_related_lookups[:]
         clone._known_related_objects = self._known_related_objects
-        clone._iterator_class = self._iterator_class
+        clone._iterable_class = self._iterable_class
         clone._fields = self._fields
 
         clone.__dict__.update(kwargs)
diff --git a/tests/lookup/tests.py b/tests/lookup/tests.py
index 0468811a54..408d2930b3 100644
--- a/tests/lookup/tests.py
+++ b/tests/lookup/tests.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 from __future__ import unicode_literals
 
+import collections
 from datetime import datetime
 from operator import attrgetter
 from unittest import skipUnless
@@ -75,6 +76,8 @@ class LookupTests(TestCase):
     def test_iterator(self):
         # Each QuerySet gets iterator(), which is a generator that "lazily"
         # returns results using database-level iteration.
+        self.assertIsInstance(Article.objects.iterator(), collections.Iterator)
+
         self.assertQuerysetEqual(Article.objects.iterator(),
             [
                 'Article 5',