Pivot Meaning
/ˈpɪv.ɪt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA thing on which something turns; specifically a metal pointed pin or short shaft in machinery, such as the end of an axle or spindle.
nounSomething or someone having a paramount significance in a certain situation.
Sentence Examples
Pushing that button will make the object pivot around the y axis.
Algeria needs to pivot its economy away from oil and gas.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ is the central point around which the whole system turns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The entire strategy hinged on a single ____ point that the team had to get exactly right.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English pevet, *pivot, from Old French pivot (“hinge pin, pivot”) (12th c.), possibly from Latin pūgiō.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"The weight of the body and the traction and braking forces are taken by the conventional dished bogie centre pivot with phosphor-bronze liner; this type of centre pivot facilitates passage over marshalling yard humps."
— 1962 December, “The B.R. standard diesel-electric Type 1 locomotive”, in Modern Railways, page 382:
"“The story of this adoption is, of course, the pivot round which all the circumstances of the mysterious tragedy revolved. Mrs. Yule had an only son, namely, William, to whom she was passionately attached ; but, like many a fond mother, she had the desire of mapping out that son's future entirely according to her own ideas.[…]”"
— 1904–1905, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “The Tragedy in Dartmoor Terrace”, in The Case of Miss Elliott, London: T[homas] Fisher Unwin, published 1905, →OCLC; republished as popular edition, London: Greening & Co., 1909, OCLC 11192831, quoted in The Case of Miss Elliott (ebook no. 2000141h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg of Australia, February 2020:
"Sandy Weill was the man who stitched Citigroup together in the 1990s and in the process helped bury the Glass-Steagall act, a Depression-era law separating retail and investment banking. Last month he performed a perfect pivot: he now wants regulators to undo his previous work."
— 2012 August 18, “Banking reform: Sticking together”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2023, issue:
"For Ron Shah, founder of Bizly, a new company that helps hotels book unused meeting rooms, his pivot began with disaster: the day he found his Manhattan office flooded, his conference room under three inches of water. […] Choosing to buy and to lead Spark, he said, “has been one of the greatest pivots I’ve made in life, allowing me to do what I do well.”"
— 2017 December 6, Caitlin Kelly, “For Entrepreneurs, a Tough Moment: The Pivot”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2022:
"Mr. Shah’s new business has signed up 25 New York City hotels and raised $1.5 million from angel investors and $3 million from a seed round. Yet three months into his new project, he has had to pivot again, realizing that his best customers are large businesses, not individuals."
— 2017 December 6, Caitlin Kelly, “For Entrepreneurs, a Tough Moment: The Pivot”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Jun 2022:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ is the central point around which the whole system turns.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The entire strategy hinged on a single ____ point that the team had to get exactly right.