pivot

1 of 3

noun

piv·​ot ˈpi-vət How to pronounce pivot (audio)
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
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
The company even redesigned its logo to look more like an electrical plug to emphasize its pivot to battery-powered vehicles. 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
The pivot to virtual learning impacted income and occupancy rates of hotels at colleges … Melissa Angell

pivot

2 of 3

adjective

1
: turning on or as if on a pivot
2

pivot

3 of 3

verb

pivoted; pivoting; pivots

intransitive verb

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
2
: 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
Restauranteur Jordan Rulloda has been grinding through this pandemic. … Rulloda says he and his small team have pivoted the best they can.Lyndsay Morrison
The city famed for steel mills that powered America's industrial rise has steadily pivoted toward technology and health care …Jonathan Lemire et al.

transitive verb

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
… many organizations have pivoted their operations by taking services online to adapt to current conditions and strengthen business resiliency.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
pivotable adjective

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").

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
This isn’t the first time that Church has used his fan club to announce unexpected career pivots. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024 The pivot from liberal strategies has divided District residents. Emily Davies, Washington Post, 5 Mar. 2024 Conversations with family can inspire an unexpected career pivot as Mercury and Uranus harmonize. USA TODAY, 4 Mar. 2024 The pivot on credit-card tipping, as well as the signals of potential coming headway on bargaining, could spur more growth for the union campaign, which has struggled at times to maintain momentum. Daniela Sirtori-Cortina, Fortune, 28 Feb. 2024 At the moment, head coach Xavi Hernandez often deploys four center-of-the-park technicians with stand-in pivot and usual center back Andreas Christensen sitting behind Frenkie de Jong and Ilkay Gundogan. Tom Sanderson, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 But there’s no question that the joint venture is a significant pivot in strategy by all three companies, beating Disney’s ESPN streaming launch to the punch, placing WBD’s Max sports offering in question, and bringing Fox into the streaming fold for the first time. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 There’s something old-fashioned about his comic style, a ba-da-bump in his cadence, a touch of vaudeville in his pivots. Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2024 Trump’s pivot: Top advisers to Trump are urging him to focus less on personal grievances and more on attacks toward Biden, according to nine top Trump aides and allies who spoke to NBC News. Elizabeth Both, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2024
Adjective
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 But like similar countries that reached this pivot point, such as Brazil in the 1970s and Japan in the 1980s, China did not reform its growth model. Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 3 Oct. 2023 With the program off and running, the goals now pivot from creating a program, to competing as a program. Timothy Dashiell, Baltimore Sun, 24 Aug. 2023 Inside Miller Paint colors inspired by the region — warm white Mushroom, Chiseled Shale, Forest Walk and Ambiguous Black — work well with the textured walnut seen on a pivot front door to the great room’s fireplace wall that rises 20 feet to the ceiling. Jeastman, oregonlive, 2 Aug. 2023 There were surely several pivot points in Pat Fitzgerald’s fall from grace that could have avoided the mass exhumation of every grievance coming out of his Northwestern locker room over the last 17 years, culminating Monday with his inevitable firing. Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 11 July 2023
Verb
On a recent podcast, filmmaker Steven Soderbergh pivoted the conversation to Alfred Hitchcock’s work, examining why, decades later, the auteur’s grip on audiences remains so tight. Kishori Rajan, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 The movie pivots around a little girl, Alice (Pyper Braun), who in the basement of her new home discovers an old Teddy bear, named Chauncey, who becomes her imaginary friend. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 During pandemic closures, the bar pivoted to a general-store model. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 President Joe Biden's bid for re-election will pivot in no small part on voter perceptions of his handling of inflation and the overall economy. CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 When pivoting your brand or launching a campaign, commit to the process and commit to your people. Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2024 Apple's shares declined 2.5% in Monday's trading in the U.S. But the EU later pivoted its focus to concentrate on how Apple prevents app makers from telling their users about cheaper ways to pay for subscriptions that don’t involve going through an app. Kelvin Chan, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 Owner Frank Rose pivoted from a life in the studio to the business of curating. Lauren Mowery, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 In 2018, the Costa Mesa City Council pivoted from being majority Republican to Democrat and Manuel Chavez became the first Latino elected to the council. Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1796, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1841, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of pivot was in the 14th century

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near pivot

Cite this Entry

“Pivot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pivot. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pivot

1 of 2 noun
piv·​ot ˈpiv-ət How to pronounce pivot (audio)
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 verb
1
: 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 How to pronounce pivot (audio)
: a usually metallic pin holding an artificial crown to the root of a tooth

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