linchpin

noun linch·pin \ ˈlinch-ˌpin \

variants: or less commonly lynchpin

|Updated on: 9 Jul 2018

Examples: linchpin in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Did You Know?

Definition of linchpin

1 : a locking pin inserted crosswise (as through the end of an axle or shaft)

2 : one that serves to hold together parts or elements that exist or function as a unit

the linchpin in the defense's case

See linchpin defined for English-language learners

See linchpin defined for kids

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Examples of linchpin in a Sentence

This witness is the linchpin of the defense's case.

Recent Examples of linchpin from the Web

Guerriero says the festival is a linchpin of the local economy, which has been in decline ever since the closure of the Kentucky coal and uranium mines that once employed many of its residents.

— michael hardy, WIRED, "The Annual Super-Celebration in Superman's Real-World Home," 3 July 2018
The fact that the Supreme Court, which has a Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Trump appointee, as one of its conservative linchpins, was willing to overturn a lower court ruling is also good news for the president, Chapin added.

— john wildermuth, SFChronicle.com, "Travel ban takeaway: Trump’s tweets won’t hurt him with high court," 26 June 2018
This reconciliation is the linchpin of the power struggle that Ms. Redstone led at Viacom in 2016, which led to the ouster of Ms. Redstone’s longtime rival, Mr. Dauman, and the overhaul of Viacom’s board, following years of poor performance.

— keach hagey, WSJ, "Shari Redstone’s Path to Power," 22 June 2018
Larionov became the linchpin of the Russian Five, who created a masterpiece on ice.

— helene st. james, Detroit Free Press, "For Detroit Red Wings G.O.A.T. list, is it Yzerman or Lidstrom No. 2?," 12 June 2018
Patterson and Pressler are linchpins of the faith, the duo that—in 1967—first contrived to move Southern Baptists hard right.

— virginia heffernan, WIRED, "ChurchToo and Mike Pence’s Crisis of Faith," 21 June 2018
The goal is a mixed-use, commercial and residential project that will serve as a linchpin of redevelopment, said Planning Manager Steve Pilcher.

— nina shapiro, The Seattle Times, "South King County tries to ride the development wave. Will an immigrant community be crushed?," 9 June 2018
But Thorburn’s bid is a bit of a nightmare for Democrats, who see California as the linchpin in their push to win control of the House of Representatives this fall.

— deirdre shesgreen, USA TODAY, "California primary holds promise and peril for Democrats as they seek to win House majority," 4 June 2018
Players come and go, sometimes during camp, and even linchpins like Pulisic can be absent for months.

— brian straus, SI.com, "Young USMNT Builds on Tactical Foundation, Eases to Win Over Bolivia," 28 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'linchpin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

There was the good old custom of taking the linch-pins out of the farmers' and bagmens' gigs at the fairs, and a cowardly blackguard custom it was. That custom, described by British writer Thomas Hughes in his 1857 novel Tom Brown's School Days, was "blackguard" indeed. The linchpin in question held the wheel on the carriage and removing it made it likely that the wheel would come off as the vehicle moved. Such a pin was called a "lynis" in Old English; Middle English speakers added "pin" to form "lynspin." Modern English speakers modified it to "linchpin" and, in the mid-20th century, began using the term figuratively for anything as critical to a complex situation as a linchpin is to a wagon.