plural pivots
1
: a shaft or pin on which something turns
2
a
: a person, thing, or factor having a major or central role, function, or effect
b
: a key player or position
specifically
: an offensive position of a basketball player standing usually with back to the basket to relay passes, shoot, or provide a screen for teammates
3
: the action of pivoting
especially
: the action in basketball of stepping with one foot while keeping the other foot at its point of contact with the floor
4
: a usually marked change
The idea of allowing a [marijuana] dispensary in the city is a pivot from the stance previously held by the council, which voted in early 2018 to ban sales in the city.—
Katie Sobko
Katie Sobko
especially
: an adjustment or modification made (as to a product, service, or strategy) in order to adapt or improve
A global pandemic strikes a business. The adaptable owner assesses the situation, predicts the future, and starts their pivot. —Jodie Cook
Jodie Cook The company even redesigned its logo to look more like an electrical plug to emphasize its pivot to battery-powered vehicles. —Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins The debate around the use of tools to track employee productivity has grown since the pivot to remote work in 2020. —Owen Hughes
Owen Hughes The pivot to virtual learning impacted income and occupancy rates of hotels at colleges … —Melissa Angell
Melissa Angell
pivoted; pivoting; pivots
1
: to turn on or as if on a pivot
a TV stand that pivots
She pivoted on her heel and stalked out of the room.
(figurative) The plot pivots on the discovery that Emily, who had for years been presumed dead, is found alive.—Debi Enker and Melinda Houston
Debi Enker and Melinda Houston2
: to adapt or improve by adjusting or modifying something (such as a product, service, or strategy)
In my first product business, I didn't know when to pivot and lost everything as a result. When your output (money) exceeds your input, or you can't afford to pay yourself, it's time to pivot.—India Gary-Martin
India Gary-MartinRestauranteur Jordan Rulloda has been grinding through this pandemic. … Rulloda says he and his small team have pivoted the best they can.—Lyndsay Morrison
Lyndsay MorrisonThe city famed for steel mills that powered America's industrial rise has steadily pivoted toward technology and health care …—Jonathan Lemire et al.
Jonathan Lemire et al.1
: to provide with, mount on, or attach by a pivot
a pivoted mechanism
2
: to cause to pivot
pivoted the camera
3
: to adapt or improve by adjusting or modifying (something, such as a product, service, or strategy)
Pharmacies have pivoted their businesses to meet the demands of mass vaccination services …—Nick Thayer
Nick Thayer… many organizations have pivoted their operations by taking services online to adapt to current conditions and strengthen business resiliency.—Desmond Nair
Desmond Nair… sales departments have pivoted the way they're restaffing and handling sales meetings—rather than putting 100 workers back out in the field, they're deploying their teams in strategic ways and outsourcing sales until they hire again.—Zeenath Kuraisha
Zeenath Kuraisha
Did you know?
Pivot is a French borrowing that slowly evolved grammatically in the English language. It began as a noun in the 14th century designating a shaft or pin on which something turns ("The chair turns on a pivot"). Later it was applied to any central person or thing around which action revolves. The noun then came to denote the action of turning about, oscillating, or balancing on or as if on a point ("the pivot of the golfer's body"; "a pivot in advertising strategy"). Adjectival use followed, always functioning as a synonym of the derivative pivotal describing things that are the pivot, that are vitally important or critical ("a pivot decision"). The word evolved yet again in the 19th century to become a verb indicating the act of turning, literally and figuratively, about a point ("The player pivoted and passed the ball"; "The plot pivots on revenge"). In wider extended use, it can imply a change of direction ("The company pivoted towards marketing remote learning tools and resources").
Synonyms
Examples of pivot in a Sentence
Noun
an issue that is the real pivot of the controversy
Verb
The dancers pivoted on their toes and changed direction.
The door hinge pivots around the pin.
The quarterback pivoted and threw the ball to the running back.
Recent Examples on the WebBeth Sobol, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
By Jason Chen on Beginning Ten creative minds on how to start, pivot and productively procrastinate.
—Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The next year, Rolex made another surprise move by buying watch retailer Bucherer, marking a pivot in how the top-tier watch brand will reach customers.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 18 Apr. 2024
This was quite the pivot from collaborating with Coalition Forces over 3 deployments as a combat and trauma surgeon, earning a Combat Device while serving with the U.S. Special Forces in Mosul, Iraq in 2017.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, the stock continued to slide even after Truth Social announced the live-streaming pivot.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024
But that in itself has been confounding analysts, because recent data has been coming in hot, and investors in currency and bond markets have been responding with bets that the Fed’s pivot will come later and be shallower than expected a few months ago.
—Mark Burton, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
But speaking of Team Evolve, will the next album project be a pivot back to more obviously mainstream fare, or…?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The song itself quietly fizzled out, but behind the scenes, the rapper was plotting his pivot.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
The increasing global tensions over the weekend may turn out to be a pivot point in the election.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The new permitting process marks a pivot point for NYC.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 28 Mar. 2024
And the results on April 3 could be a pivot point in that process.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The construction of the Stade de France — the national soccer stadium — in 1998 marked a pivot point, bringing in new urban transport and luring tourists as well as the headquarters of French blue chip companies.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The amygdala is actually a pivot point in this approach-versus-avoid system.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Setting up a budget, tucking some money away into savings, and cutting back on excessive spending are all great starts, but understand that there is more to this pivot point.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2023
Well, this is the pivot point of the season and of Loki’s story here, and a lot of times, these pivot points can seem like the end of the journey.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2023
Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
In South America, one country has pivoted in less than a decade to generating almost all its electricity from a diverse mix of renewables.
—Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
But most quickly pivoted to public expressions of optimism and unity.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The team ultimately pivoted to a more creative approach: writing their own hypothetical therapy transcripts that reflected productive therapy sessions, and training the model on that in-house data.
—Andy Weir, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Companies will continue to pivot to automation, which can eliminate jobs, cut hours, and reduce benefits and compensation.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
After the breakdown of Russian relations with the United States following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin pivoted to the East to offset the effect of Western economic sanctions and make the Russian economy more resilient to Western pressure.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The singer pivoted to a casual vibe in Frankie Shop cropped trousers cinched with an Iro belt, Paris Texas pumps, Kendra Scott jewelry, and a St. Jude T-shirt.
—Glamour, 8 Apr. 2024
The writers, who had already sketched out the season’s 10 episodes, had to pivot in a matter of days.
—Max Gao, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Noun
The surging demand for sulfate-free shampoo in recent years, for example, has meant a pivot away from brands using formulas with the ingredient sodium lauryl sulfate.
—Beth Sobol, Allure, 23 Apr. 2024
By Jason Chen on Beginning Ten creative minds on how to start, pivot and productively procrastinate.
—Juan A. Ramírez, New York Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The next year, Rolex made another surprise move by buying watch retailer Bucherer, marking a pivot in how the top-tier watch brand will reach customers.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 18 Apr. 2024
This was quite the pivot from collaborating with Coalition Forces over 3 deployments as a combat and trauma surgeon, earning a Combat Device while serving with the U.S. Special Forces in Mosul, Iraq in 2017.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 18 Apr. 2024
On Tuesday, the stock continued to slide even after Truth Social announced the live-streaming pivot.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 16 Apr. 2024
But that in itself has been confounding analysts, because recent data has been coming in hot, and investors in currency and bond markets have been responding with bets that the Fed’s pivot will come later and be shallower than expected a few months ago.
—Mark Burton, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2024
But speaking of Team Evolve, will the next album project be a pivot back to more obviously mainstream fare, or…?
—Chris Willman, Variety, 7 Apr. 2024
The song itself quietly fizzled out, but behind the scenes, the rapper was plotting his pivot.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
Adjective
Starting on one side of the lift gate, use a screwdriver to remove the clip attached to the pivot point at the top end of the strut.
—Maryal Miller Carter, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024
The increasing global tensions over the weekend may turn out to be a pivot point in the election.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The new permitting process marks a pivot point for NYC.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 28 Mar. 2024
And the results on April 3 could be a pivot point in that process.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Mar. 2024
The construction of the Stade de France — the national soccer stadium — in 1998 marked a pivot point, bringing in new urban transport and luring tourists as well as the headquarters of French blue chip companies.
—Catherine Porter, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2024
The amygdala is actually a pivot point in this approach-versus-avoid system.
—Quanta Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024
Setting up a budget, tucking some money away into savings, and cutting back on excessive spending are all great starts, but understand that there is more to this pivot point.
—Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 Nov. 2023
Well, this is the pivot point of the season and of Loki’s story here, and a lot of times, these pivot points can seem like the end of the journey.
—Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Oct. 2023
Verb
The 2024 Presidential election could pivot on who wins Pennsylvania, one of the country’s few remaining battleground states, and the one with the largest number of electoral votes.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2024
In South America, one country has pivoted in less than a decade to generating almost all its electricity from a diverse mix of renewables.
—Delger Erdenesanaa, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2024
But most quickly pivoted to public expressions of optimism and unity.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2024
The team ultimately pivoted to a more creative approach: writing their own hypothetical therapy transcripts that reflected productive therapy sessions, and training the model on that in-house data.
—Andy Weir, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Companies will continue to pivot to automation, which can eliminate jobs, cut hours, and reduce benefits and compensation.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
After the breakdown of Russian relations with the United States following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Kremlin pivoted to the East to offset the effect of Western economic sanctions and make the Russian economy more resilient to Western pressure.
—Alexander Gabuev, Foreign Affairs, 9 Apr. 2024
The singer pivoted to a casual vibe in Frankie Shop cropped trousers cinched with an Iro belt, Paris Texas pumps, Kendra Scott jewelry, and a St. Jude T-shirt.
—Glamour, 8 Apr. 2024
The writers, who had already sketched out the season’s 10 episodes, had to pivot in a matter of days.
—Max Gao, NBC News, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pivot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pivot
Cite this Entry
“Pivot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pivot. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pivot
1 of 2 noun
piv·ot
ˈpiv-ət 
1
: a shaft or pin on which something turns
2
: something on which something else turns or depends : a central member, part, or point
pivot
2 of 2 verb1
: to turn on or as if on a pivot
the guns are mounted in such a way as to pivot easily
the future pivots on what is done today
2
: to provide with, mount on, or attach by a pivot
Medical Definition
pivot
noun
piv·ot
ˈpiv-ət
: a usually metallic pin holding an artificial crown to the root of a tooth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share