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Synonyms

fulcrum

American  
[fool-kruhm, fuhl-] / ˈfʊl krəm, ˈfʌl- /

noun

plural

fulcrums, fulcra

  1. the support, or point of rest, on which a lever turns in moving a body.

  2. any prop or support.

  3. Zoology. any of various structures in an animal serving as a hinge or support.

verb (used with object)

  1. to fit with a fulcrum; put a fulcrum on.

fulcrum British  
/ ˈfʊlkrəm, ˈfʌl- /

noun

  1. the pivot about which a lever turns

  2. something that supports or sustains; prop

  3. a spinelike scale occurring in rows along the anterior edge of the fins in primitive bony fishes such as the sturgeon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fulcrum Scientific  
/ fl′krəm /

  1. The point or support on which a lever turns. The position of the fulcrum, relative to the positions of the load and effort, determines the type of lever.

fulcrum Cultural  

  1. The point on which a lever is balanced when a force is exerted.

Etymology

Origin of fulcrum

1665–75; < Latin: back-support of a couch, apparently for fulctrum, equivalent to fulc ( īre ) to hold up, support + -trum noun suffix of instrument

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“As this month winds down, we look for the crude markets to continue to act as a fulcrum with diesel providing leadership on both the upside and now the downside,” Ritterbusch says in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal

The fulcrum of fortune has a way of seesawing from one condition to its opposite with no warning, like a sudden squall on an otherwise balmy day.

From Literature

Milan is not just a European fashion capital but the financial and industrial fulcrum of Italy, with most major banks and companies headquartered in the city.

From BBC

The "Egyptian King", so often the fulcrum of Liverpool's attack, has scored just one goal from open play in the Premier League this season, on the opening weekend.

From Barron's

Tuchel, however, has been in no rush to return Bellingham to the squad, despite a status in recent years which has had him regarded as the fulcrum of England's team.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.