fulcrum

noun

ful·​crum ˈfu̇l-krəm  ˈfəl- 

plural fulcrums or fulcra ˈfu̇l-krə 

ˈfəl-

1

a

: prop

specifically : the support about which a lever turns

… the camera moves on a fixed fulcrum, either horizontally (panning) or vertically (tilting) …

—Gerald Mast

b

: one that supplies capability for action

He is … the reader's eyes and ears and the fulcrum of his judgment …

—Bernard De Voto

2

: a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support

Did you know?

Fulcrum, which means "bedpost" in Latin, comes from the verb fulcire, which means "to prop." When the word fulcrum was first used in the 17th century, it referred to the point on which a lever or similar device (such as the oar of a boat) is supported. The literal use easily supported figurative use, and it didn't take long for the word to develop a meaning referring to one deemed essential to the function or development of something. Despite fulcrum's multiple senses, the word's meanings have kept a steady theme. In zoology, fulcrum refers to a part of an animal that serves as a hinge or support, such as the joint supporting a bird's wing.

Examples of fulcrum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The fulcrum of the team’s defense picked up an injury late in his Premier League season with Crystal Palace and did not suit up in the friendly against Senegal. —Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026

Karl-Anthony Towns is operating as a fulcrum; Mikal Bridges and OG Anonuby are making hard cuts and harder runs in transition; Josh Hart is making defenses account for him. —Kyle Wagner, New York Daily News, 3 June 2026

Second, the Knicks created an entire secondary offense out of thin air in Game 4 of the Atlanta series, having Towns operate as a fulcrum while the other players cut off the ball. —John Hollinger, New York Times, 2 June 2026

Tomás’s transformation is the fulcrum point of Land, a touching, imaginative novel that is deeply rooted in the history of Ireland and its soil. —Nora Biette-Timmons, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin, going back to Latin, "head or back support of a couch," going back to *fulc-crum, from fulcīre "to prop, support" (of uncertain origin) + -crum, variant of -c(u)lum, instrumental suffix, after bases containing an -l- (going back to Indo-European *-tlom)

First Known Use

1659, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

fulcrum

noun

ful·​crum ˈfu̇l-krəm  ˈfəl- 

plural fulcrums or fulcra -krə 

: the support about which a lever turns