pivot

American  

[piv-uht] / ˈpɪv ət /

noun

• pivots
  plural

1. a pin, point, or short shaft on the end of which something rests and turns, or upon and about which something rotates or oscillates.

2. the end of a shaft or arbor, resting and turning in a bearing.

3. any thing or person on which something or someone functions or depends vitally.

   He is the pivot of my life.

4. the person in a line, as of troops on parade, whom the others use as a point about which to wheel or maneuver.

5. a whirling about on one foot.

6. a change in policy, opinion, product design, etc., that retains some continuity with its previous version, especially as part of a strategy to appeal to a different audience: the administration’s pivot toward Asia;

   a pivot in public policy;

   the administration’s pivot toward Asia;

   multiple product pivots to reach new consumers.

7. Basketball. the act of keeping one foot in place while holding the ball and moving the other foot one step in any direction, so as not to be charged with traveling.

8. Basketball.

   1. an offensive position in the front court, usually played by the center, in which the player stands facing away from the offensive basket and serves as the pivot of the offense by setting up plays through passing, making screens, and taking shots.

   2. Also called pivotman. the player who plays in the pivot position.

9. Dentistry. (formerly) dowel.

---

verb (used without object)

• pivots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pivoted,
  past participle,  past
• pivoting
  present participle

1. to turn on or as on a pivot.

2. Basketball. to keep one foot in place while holding the ball and moving the other foot one step in any direction.

3. to modify a policy, opinion, product, etc., while retaining some continuity with its previous version, especially as part of a strategy to appeal to a different audience: The studio pivoted away from gritty realism to make the film’s sequel more family-friendly.

   The candidate will need to pivot on her unpopular position regarding prescription drug pricing.

   The studio pivoted away from gritty realism to make the film’s sequel more family-friendly.

verb (used with object)

• pivots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pivoted,
  past participle,  past
• pivoting
  present participle

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

2. to modify (a policy, opinion, product, etc.) while retaining some continuity with its previous version.

   The start-up was able to pivot the app to a new market without losing too many man-hours of coding.

pivot British  

/ ˈpɪvət /

noun

1. a short shaft or pin supporting something that turns; fulcrum

2. the end of a shaft or arbor that terminates in a bearing

3. a person or thing upon which progress, success, etc, depends

4. the person or position from which a military formation takes its reference, as when altering position

---

verb

1. (tr) to mount on or provide with a pivot or pivots

2. (intr) to turn on or as if on a pivot

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pivots
  plural

Participles

• pivoting
  present
• pivoted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pivot
  simple
• pivots
  simple
• have pivoted
  perfect
• has pivoted
  perfect
• am pivoting
  progressive
• are pivoting
  progressive
• is pivoting
  progressive
• have been pivoting
  perfect progressive
• has been pivoting
  perfect progressive

Past

• pivoted
  simple
• had pivoted
  perfect
• was pivoting
  progressive
• were pivoting
  progressive
• had been pivoting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pivot
  simple
• will have pivoted
  perfect
• will be pivoting
  progressive
• will have been pivoting
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of pivot

First recorded in 1350–1400; < French, Middle French, Old French “hinge, pivot”; further origin uncertain, perhaps related to Catalan piu, Occitan pivèu “spindle, pivot,” and Provençal pua “tooth on a heckle (flax comb)”

---

Explanation

To pivot is to turn or rotate, like a hinge. Or a basketball player pivoting back and forth on one foot to protect the ball. When you're not talking about a type of swiveling movement, you can use pivot to mean the one central thing that something depends upon. The central pivot of your student government campaign, for example, might be longer recess time. Or your plans to go to the beach this weekend could pivot upon whether it rains, as the weather channel has predicted, or gets surprisingly sunny.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pivot pivots pivoted pivoting

The result: a pivot in Reckitt’s China sales tactics, one that has propelled 12 consecutive quarters of double-digit sales growth in the country and helped the British firm weather a sales slowdown in established markets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026

Bluekurtic Market Insights spotted the catalyst for this pivot.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

OK, time to pivot from the slow debasement of public service to a public-service announcement from my colleagues about what to read and listen to if you’re looking for a distraction:

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026

Still, Meta executives are bullish about the company's pivot to AI.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

It went in fast and straight, and I saw Danny Saunders’ left foot move out and his bat go up and his body begin to pivot.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

I currently work at a company that matches contributions, which is a great benefit, but I’m curious if there are better options, especially for someone always expecting the next layoff and potential career pivots.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

As the agency pivots to putting astronauts on the moon, this $3-billion space-copter is the agency’s last large-scale mission to explore the solar system.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

The outspoken progressive is seeking to temper some of the heat he delivered in the primary as he pivots to a general election and tries to court his skeptics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Xbox leadership has insisted the "painful" cuts across its sprawling network of studios are necessary to equip it for future success, as it pivots focus to its biggest blockbuster titles.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

He stops, dramatically pivots toward the door, and waits for me.

From "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" by John Green and David Levithan

She then pivoted to her positivity message, smiling while proclaiming, “We can be joyful and ambitious again.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

Many of those companies have lately pivoted to AI, which promises more lucrative returns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

In time Mr. Quan pivoted successfully to choreographing action sequences for film and television before deciding at almost 50 that he wanted to return to acting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then, he pivoted: “Why are we fighting this war, to what end? Who benefits from it? Why did we do this? What are we paying for it?”

From Salon ● Oct. 8, 2026

He eagerly dove into the gate and streaked right through, then pivoted back for another run at it.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

It began work on Everywhere, intended to be a multiplayer role-playing game set in a futuristic city, before pivoting its focus to action-adventure MindsEye.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The company has been pivoting to a broader platform and strategy — a “relationship-based selling” approach, whereby it focuses on catering to existing customers and selling them new products.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Winds and surface currents later carried it out of Petermann Fjord, while satellite observations showed it pivoting away from Joe Island and moving southwest through Nares Strait.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Chevron Chief Executive Mike Wirth has suggested his company would continue pivoting toward oil production versus refining over the long term.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Oh, I'm surprised you noticed," I say, abruptly pivoting on my coldness toward him.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• depend
• rotate
• swivel
• twirl
• veer
• whirl

---