swivel

noun, often attributive

swiv·el | \ ˈswi-vəl

Definition of swivel

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a device joining two parts so that one or both can pivot freely (as on a bolt or pin)

swivel

verb

swiveled or swivelled; swiveling or swivelling\ ˈswi-və-liŋ ,

ˈswiv-liŋ \

Definition of swivel (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to turn on or as if on a swivel swiveled his eyes in various directions

intransitive verb

: to swing or turn on or as if on a swivel

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about swivel

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Examples of swivel in a Sentence

Noun

The gun was mounted on a swivel.

Verb

She swiveled in her seat to check the time. She swiveled the chair around to face us.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

In her work, Ms. Nozdrovska had looked into corruption in state tenders and testified against a member of Parliament, making plenty of enemies along the way and exposing the rot still in the judicial system years after Ukraine’s pro-European swivel. — Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, "In Ukraine, a Successful Fight for Justice, Then a Murder," 9 Jan. 2018 The back braces on the chair and the bases of both the chair and ottoman are aluminum, and the chair has a swivel mechanism. — Maggie Burch, House Beautiful, "This Is What Makes The Eames Lounge Chair So Special," 7 Nov. 2018 Birch-like flooring is easy to sweep out, and the swivel and bench seats are covered with a colorful custom upholstery. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "Sleek camper van sleeps two with space for bikes," 26 Sep. 2018 This is an IPS panel, and the stand allows for height, swivel, and tilt adjustments. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "Alienware's monster 34-inch curved G-Sync display is $500 off in Dell's 'Black Friday in July' blowout," 12 July 2018 The perks of the lightweight machine are its detachable canister for portable cleaning, swivel steering, and anti-allergy seal. — Collier Sutter, House Beautiful, "People Are Obsessed With This $150 Vacuum From Amazon," 2 Oct. 2018 Since stepping onto the scene in 2016, Sasha Lane has caused heads to swivel with glittering hair jewelry, artful eyeliner, and a palpable confidence that renders any look a touch more aspirational. — Calin Van Paris, Vogue, "Sasha Lane Has a Celestial Hair Moment on the Red Carpet—and It's Worth a Closer Look," 23 July 2018 The date code is stamped on the nut of the swivel fitting. — Timothy Dahl, Popular Mechanics, "Recall Alert: Franklin Fueling Systems Gas Station Hoses," 16 Mar. 2016 Its swivel cups make for easy traveling, and 4.5 stars out of over 1,500 reviews show its set of headphones that is trusted. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Today's Amazon Deals Will Be Music to Your Ears," 20 Dec. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The whopping 17-inch 4K Nvidia G-Sync display swivels on what Acer calls an Ezel Aero Hinge. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Acer's swivel-display Predator Triton 900 will include Nvidia's mobile RTX graphics," 6 Jan. 2019 Photo: Libby March for The Wall Street Journal A display about late-night TV has a floor-standing television camera that visitors can swivel to look around the sets of different talk shows through the ages, from Jack Paar to Jimmy Fallon. — Don Steinberg, WSJ, "This Museum Takes Jokes Seriously," 21 July 2018 Hip-swiveling sass is important from the start, but then come the complicated posture, partner work and turns. — Nicole Tsong, The Seattle Times, "There’s a lot to remember when you’re learning bachata — do not forget the flair!," 29 July 2018 In videos shared on Instagram, Sophia can be seen swivelling her head as models walk by, most likely making a mental shopping list. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "The Breakout Front Row Star at Alexander Wang’s Show? A Robot," 2 Dec. 2018 The larger Portal+ has an HD 15.6-inch screen that can swivel between vertical and horizontal views. — Geoffrey A. Fowler, The Seattle Times, "Facebook unveils the Portal, a video-chat camera for people who still trust Facebook," 8 Oct. 2018 The suite includes adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist and steering-responsive foglights that swivel to better light the road through bends. — Jonathan Elfalan, Edmunds, USA TODAY, "Advanced driver aids aren't just for luxury cars, Edmunds says," 6 Apr. 2018 But each time, the MCAS system, as designed, kicked in to swivel the horizontal tail and push the nose back down again. — Dominic Gates, The Seattle Times, "Lion Air pilots struggled against Boeing’s 737 MAX flight-control system, black-box data shows," 27 Nov. 2018 They're also built for comfort, with soft, adjustable ear pads that swivel up to 90 degrees. — Alexandria Haslam, PCWorld, "TaoTronics Active Noise-Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones are $25 off today," 18 July 2018

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