swivel

American  

[swiv-uhl] / ˈswɪv əl /

noun

1. a fastening device that allows the thing fastened to turn around freely upon it, especially to turn in a full circle.

2. such a device consisting of two parts, each of which turns around independently, as a compound link of a chain, one part of which turns freely in the other by means of a headed pin or the like.

3. a pivoted support allowing a gun to turn around in a horizontal plane.

4. a swivel gun.

5. a device attached to a loom and used as a shuttle to weave extra threads in the production of small figures, especially dots.

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verb (used with object)

swiveled, swiveling, swivelled, swivelling

1. to turn or pivot on or as if on a swivel.

   He swiveled his chair around.

2. to fasten by a swivel; furnish with a swivel.

verb (used without object)

swiveled, swiveling, swivelled, swivelling

1. to turn on or if as on a swivel.

swivel British  

/ ˈswɪvəl /

noun

1. a coupling device which allows an attached object to turn freely

2. such a device made of two parts which turn independently, such as a compound link of a chain

3. 1. a pivot on which is mounted a gun that may be swung from side to side in a horizontal plane

   2. Also called: swivel gun.  the gun itself

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verb

1. to turn or swing on or as if on a pivot

2. (tr) to provide with, secure by, or support with a swivel

Other Word Forms

• swivel-like
  adjective
• swivellike
  adjective
• unswivel
  verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of swivel

1275–1325; Middle English (noun), equivalent to swiv- (weak stem of Old English swīfan to revolve; cognate with Old Norse svīfa to turn) + -el instrumental suffix

Explanation

A swivel is a device that allows something to turn freely. Desk chairs are often designed so the seat can swivel atop the base. In the hospital, the TV is usually mounted on a swivel so that patients can adjust it. Swivel comes from a middle English word, swive, meaning to sweep. It’s often used to describe gun mountings, like on a tank or a boat where a gun is fastened down but can still be swung around in any direction. But people can also swivel. If you were in the middle of robbing a bank and you heard a noise behind you, you’d probably swivel around quickly to see what it was.

Example Sentences

If you don’t have room for a full coatrack or simply don’t need that many hooks, we recommend the KES Solid Metal Swivel Hook.

From Slate • Jan. 4, 2019

Swivel chairs and miniature bottled waters on a boardroom table were just relics of a play world that was so much smaller than my new, raw, unfiltered one.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2018

Iger’s WKO owns five large traditional Class A, or prime, office towers in Manhattan and rolled out its own flexible format last month called Swivel.

From Reuters • Mar. 19, 2018

Modeled on bar stools that let you turn and flirt with your neighbors, the Helinox Swivel Chair, for example, makes it easy to track the movements of passing wildlife.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 28, 2016

Swivel this thing around and head for Long Island.

From Instant of Decision by Garrett, Randall

Related Words

• pivot
• revolve
• rotate
• swing around
• whirl