pivot

noun piv·ot \ ˈpi-vət \

|Updated on: 11 Jul 2018

Definition of pivot

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

See pivot defined for English-language learners

See pivot defined for kids

Examples of pivot in a Sentence

an issue that is the real pivot of the controversy

Recent Examples of pivot from the Web

The nomination has become a pivot point for the fight over the future of the consumer watchdog agency.

— washington post, BostonGlobe.com, "Democrats plan fierce opposition to Trump nominee to lead consumer bureau," 22 June 2018
Having declared victory, Mr. Kim then made the key pivot.

— gerald f. seib, WSJ, "Singapore Summit Puts Kim Jong Un’s Words to the Test," 11 June 2018
The day after the commentary was published, Yanukovych fled Ukraine amid protests of his government's corruption and pivot toward Moscow, eventually arriving in Russia and effectively ending his presidency.

— Anchorage Daily News, "With Mueller closing in, Manafort allies jump ship," 7 June 2018
The 15-year-old, who famously got her start as a guest on Dr. Phil, recently made a pivot towards rap under the stage name Bhad Bhabie.

— refinery29.com, "The Cash Me Ousside Girl Just Compared Herself To Cardi B," 21 May 2018
Now Georgoulias is making a pivot back to family-style Greek food with a new spot in Belmont, Estia's Kouzina, with his wife, Vicki Georgoulias.

— kathleen purvis, charlotteobserver, "Former Open Kitchen cook, Cosmos Cafe owner unveils new place | Charlotte Observer," 10 May 2018
Hader stars as a dejected assassin who follows a mark to an acting class and decides to make a career pivot.

— lucy feldman, Time, "Bill Hader on Playing a Hit Man, Anxiety and Avoiding Social Media," 22 Mar. 2018
As part of its pivot to the East, Moscow has expanded ties with Beijing and built up its own regional economic and political bloc, known as the Eurasian Economic Union.

— andrew higgins, The Seattle Times, "When America is ready, Putin says, he would meet with Trump," 10 June 2018
As part of its pivot to the East, Moscow has expanded ties with Beijing and built up its own regional economic and political bloc, known as the Eurasian Economic Union.

— andrew higgins, New York Times, "Putin Says He Would Welcome a Meeting With Trump," 10 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of pivot

French

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

pivot Synonyms

Synonyms

bottom line, bull's-eye, centerpiece, core, crux, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, point, root, sum;

Related Words

course, direction, drift, tenor;

body, content, substance;

hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis;

Phrases

sum and substance, the long and short (or the long and the short);

Other Mechanical Engineering Terms

centrifuge, differential, flange, lathe, linchpin, pinion, plenum, ratchet, traction

pivot

adjective

Definition of pivot

1 : turning on or as if on a pivot

2 : pivotal

Recent Examples of pivot from the Web

Green, however, clearly picked up his left pivot foot first, which was missed and likely should’ve been called a traveling violation.

— j. michael, Indianapolis Star, "Tempers spike in intense rivalry between Pacers, Cavs with Lance Stephenson in middle," 23 Apr. 2018
Struggling to keep her pivot foot at the top of the arc amid a double-team, her shovel pass found a wide-open Sabally for a layup and a 62-46 lead with 7:32 remaining.

— andrew greif, OregonLive.com, "Ducks women stay put, Beavers move up in AP poll," 22 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of pivot

1796

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

pivot

verb

Definition of pivot

intransitive verb

: to turn on or as if on a pivot

transitive verb

1 : to provide with, mount on, or attach by a pivot

2 : to cause to pivot

—

pivotable

play \ˈpi-və-tə-bəl\ adjective

See pivot defined for English-language learners

Examples of pivot in a Sentence

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 of pivot from the Web

The surgeon made an incision from the temporal hair line, in front of Kevin's left ear, then pivoting back under and behind it, extending into his neck -- the standard location for hiding plastic surgery scars.

— neil steinberg, CNN, "How far would you go to be able to smile?," 13 June 2018
The storied William Morris Agency is one example of how Hollywood giants are pivoting to avoid this fate.

— ben fritz, WSJ, "It’s Buy or Die in Media as Tech Takes Over," 8 June 2018
Trump pivoted from her complaint about MS-13—a street gang that originated in Los Angeles—to comments widely read as referring to undocumented immigrants more broadly.

— mari uyehara, GQ, "What Trump Really Means When He Talks About Migrant Children, MS-13, and "Animals"," 30 May 2018
After studying under an important chemist named SM Jørgensen, Sørensen pivoted to chemistry.

— casey quackenbush, Time, "Google Doodle Celebrates S.P.L. Sørensen, the Trailblazing Chemist Behind the pH Scale," 29 May 2018
There’s a lot of wonderful things about it, but Windows Phone was kind of pivoting and KIN and Windows Phone didn’t have a clear strategy.

— tom warren, The Verge, "Microsoft reflects on the failures of Courier, KIN, and ultra mobile PCs," 9 May 2018
Last month, Huawei's president of consumer handsets Kevin Ho said the company is pivoting to Europe and developing Asian markets.

— dake kang, The Christian Science Monitor, "Amid US woes, Chinese telecom giant turns to Europe, Asia," 20 Apr. 2018
Allbirds, the Silicon Valley startup behind a wildly popular wool sneaker, is pivoting from sheep to trees.

— Bloomberg.com, "Allbirds Hooked You On Wool Shoes. Next, Shoes Made from Trees," 15 Mar. 2018
Suddenly, everyone needed to find their place in this new modern, experimental, fast-paced world of entertainment, and in order to keep up, both studios and big-name actresses pivoted away from romantic comedies and towards more sure-fire genres.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "The Rom-Com Renaissance Is Here Thanks To Netflix," 22 June 2018