pivot

piv·ot | \ ˈpi-vət

Definition of pivot

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a shaft or pin on which something turns

2a : 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

pivot

adjective

Definition of pivot (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : turning on or as if on a pivot

2 : pivotal

pivot

verb

pivoted; pivoting; pivots

Definition of pivot (Entry 3 of 3)

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

Other Words from pivot Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about pivot

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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 Web: Noun Like many other business, Anderson did the COVID pivot remaining open only for carry out and focused on growing online sales. — Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, "Good Cakes and Bakes set to reopen after remodel and kitchen expansion," 14 Oct. 2020 With the pivot to bento boxes, chefs are redesigning their food to be suited to travel and hold longer. — NBC News, "How pandemic bento boxes became their own care package and a new business model," 13 Oct. 2020 In an era when sliding base runners routinely tried to take out the second baseman to prevent double plays, Morgan was known as especially tough in the pivot. — Bruce Weber, New York Times, "Joe Morgan, Hall of Fame Second Baseman, Is Dead at 77," 12 Oct. 2020 The 19-year-old played as the deepest-lying midfielder in the double pivot against New York, then shifted to be one of the highest attackers for the Lions against Atlanta United. — Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja emphasizes patience during key stretch," 7 Oct. 2020 Others contended that the pivot violated the contract between institutions of higher learning and its faculty. — C. Brandon Ogbunu, Wired, "The Flagrant Hypocrisy of Bungled College Reopenings," 2 Sep. 2020 The pivot triggered confusion and controversy, as the science around how the coronavirus spreads has not changed in the past few days. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "CDC’s revised COVID-19 testing guidelines won’t affect San Diego. But a new state partnership might," 26 Aug. 2020 Students at NYU Tisch School of the Arts demanded at least a partial refund on their tuition in the spring following the pivot to virtual classes, saying that the experience was inferior. — Peter Aitken, Fox News, "Students demand tuition cuts as more colleges pivot to virtual learning," 23 Aug. 2020 Plouffe doubted Trump is capable of making the necessary pivot. — Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, "Voting starts earlier than you might realize. It has Trump battling the clock in some battleground states," 22 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Although that decade was marked by the passage of watershed civil-rights legislation and other Great Society initiatives, Putnam describes the sixties as a pivot point for the country. — Michael Luo, The New Yorker, "Could Joe Biden Actually Bring America Back Together?," 17 Oct. 2020 If the past seven months have taught us anything, it’s that resilience and creativity abound in the movie business, from the comeback of drive-in theaters to the nimble pivot art houses and festivals made to streaming. — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, "This is not a ‘Tenet’ review. (Here’s why.)," 1 Sep. 2020 His pivot move to create just enough space to get the shot away over Paul George was basketball art. — Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic, "Bubble life proving conducive to growth of Phoenix Suns," 5 Aug. 2020 Places like Seattle, which have spent the last several years working to move people out of homelessness into permanent housing, must now rapidly pivot and focus on simply keeping homeless people alive. — Vianna Davila, ProPublica, "Governments Are Telling Americans to Stay at Home. But Thousands of People Don’t Have One.," 25 Mar. 2020 Past the front pivot door, a stroll leads through the living room that flaunts a floor-to-ceiling electric fireplace and cushy seating. — Georgann Yara, azcentral, "Zen area and cozy nooks bring indoor living outside in Gilbert home. Take a peek," 31 Oct. 2019 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 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb As genetic testing companies increasingly pivot to medical and pharmaceutical ventures, a regulatory gap in consumer privacy protections is drawing calls for change and even legislative proposals. — Special To The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "DNA test company moves raise privacy concerns," 26 Sep. 2020 But beyond Nwigwe’s song, Taylor’s death began to take shape as a meme, often using the format of a misdirect where a person would tweet or post a video that at first appeared to be about a mundane task and then would pivot into a call for justice. — NBC News, "A summer of digital protest: How 2020 became the summer of activism both online and offline," 26 Sep. 2020 The favorable warm and dry weather also has been helpful, Dugal said, allowing more restaurants to pivot to outdoor dining, which many will continue well into this fall. — Sarah Downey, Washington Examiner, "Visitors to Maine return in greater numbers in August but won’t offset earlier losses," 25 Sep. 2020 Those are two impossible holes to fill on their teams (real and fantasy), but at least there's still plenty of time left in the season to pivot in a different direction. — Steve Gardner, USA TODAY, "Fantasy football waiver wire: Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley replacements at a premium," 23 Sep. 2020 If the regulations around delivery cocktails change, Covell says, the business is prepared to pivot. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "New S.F. cocktail delivery service aims to take to-go drinks out of takeout containers," 21 Sep. 2020 The company already had plans for the Ventura Village branch, but then decided to pivot it to the new model this summer, said Thasunda Duckett, CEO of Chase’s consumer banking division. — Kavita Kumar, Star Tribune, "JPMorgan Chase celebrates new community branch, $4 million grant for affordable housing," 21 Sep. 2020 In fact, collaborations have been springing up between restaurants all over town since the pandemic hit, some born of economics, others of schedules stretched thin or skills lacking to pivot optimally into the next necessary maneuver. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Restaurant collaboration during COVID-19 yields creativity, cross-pollination — and coin," 20 Sep. 2020 Waiting until later in the month provided time to weather coronavirus outbreaks and pivot accordingly. — Rainer Sabin, Detroit Free Press, "How SEC football owned the Big Ten once again, this time on COVID-19 responses," 17 Sep. 2020

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.