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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.

“At this point, we are laser focused on the fulcrum question going forward: how effective are Iran’s drones?”

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

With Mendis as the fulcrum, Sri Lanka found 80 runs from the final 10 overs, an acceleration that would later prove beyond England.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2026

“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 • Nov. 24, 2025

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 • Oct. 20, 2025

Veins stood out in bas-relief on the necks of both men but neither arm moved more than two or three degrees to the right or left of the fulcrum point.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

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.