hinge

American  

[hinj] / hɪndʒ /

noun

• hinges
  plural

1. a jointed device or flexible piece on which a door, gate, shutter, lid, or other attached part turns, swings, or moves.

2. a natural anatomical joint at which motion occurs around a transverse axis, as that of the knee or a bivalve shell.

3. that on which something is based or depends; pivotal consideration or factor.

4. Also called mount.  Philately. a gummed sticker for affixing a stamp to a page of an album, so folded as to form a hinge, allowing the stamp to be raised to reveal the text beneath.

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verb (used without object)

• hinges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hinged,
  past participle,  past
• hinging
  present participle

1. to be dependent or contingent on, or as if on, a hinge (usually followed by on orupon ).

   Everything hinges on his decision.

   Synonyms:

   depend, pivot, swing, rest

verb (used with object)

• hinges,
  present (3rd person singular)
• hinged,
  past participle,  past
• hinging
  present participle

1. to furnish with or attach by a hinge or hinges.

2. to attach as if by a hinge.

3. to make or consider as dependent upon; predicate.

   He hinged his action on future sales.

hinge British  

/ hɪndʒ /

noun

1. a device for holding together two parts such that one can swing relative to the other, typically having two interlocking metal leaves held by a pin about which they pivot

2. Technical name: ginglymus.  anatomy a type of joint, such as the knee joint, that moves only backwards and forwards; a joint that functions in only one plane

3. a similar structure in invertebrate animals, such as the joint between the two halves of a bivalve shell

4. something on which events, opinions, etc, turn

5. Also called: mount.  philately a small thin transparent strip of gummed paper for affixing a stamp to a page

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verb

1. (tr) to attach or fit a hinge to (something)

2. (intr; usually foll by on or upon) to depend (on)

3. (intr) to hang or turn on or as if on a hinge

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rehinge
  verb (used with object)
• hinged
  adjective
• hingeless
  adjective
• hingelike
  adjective
• well-hinged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hinges
  plural

Participles

• hinging
  present
• hinged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hinge
  simple
• hinges
  simple
• have hinged
  perfect
• has hinged
  perfect
• am hinging
  progressive
• are hinging
  progressive
• is hinging
  progressive
• have been hinging
  perfect progressive
• has been hinging
  perfect progressive

Past

• hinged
  simple
• had hinged
  perfect
• was hinging
  progressive
• were hinging
  progressive
• had been hinging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hinge
  simple
• will have hinged
  perfect
• will be hinging
  progressive
• will have been hinging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of hinge

1250–1300; Middle English henge; cognate with Low German heng ( e ), Middle Dutch henge hinge; akin to hang

Explanation

A hinge is a type of joint that attaches two things together while allowing for limited movement. A door hinge fastens the door to the wall and lets the door swing open. A hinge is a joint that holds two pieces of something together while allowing one piece to move in a swinging motion. When used as a verb, hinge can mean "to attach a hinge." Hinge can also be used to indicate that one key event depends on another, as in “The athlete’s future with the team will hinge on his performance at tonight’s game” or “The success of this product hinges on how many units are sold this month.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hinge hinges hinged hinging

Colleges’ bond issuances, private-equity investments and intellectual property agreements all hinge on maintaining tax-exempt status, so sudden doubt about whether schools will comply with the law can be problematic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Jobs with high exposure tended to hinge on information analysis, while jobs with low scores tended to focus on manual work and direct interactions.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Squat — or hinge — backward, moving your arms forward as you lower your hips into an imaginary chair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

The outcome could hinge on "relatively small swings" in support across Zambia's 10 provinces, Simakoloyi said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

The heavy grate pivoted on a hinge and came up about three inches before stopping.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

The Times' lawsuit partly hinges on the limited "fair use" exception, which permits copyrighted work to be used without the rights holders' consent.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

When mediocrity is the core objective of an extremely powerful company like this one, success hinges on turning the once-discerning viewer into a machine cog as mindless as one of Netflix’s baffling originals.

From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026

However, he did flag that Abbott’s defense, which hinges on the question of whether Castro is a fugitive, is suspect.

From Slate ● Aug. 28, 2026

Firing up machines in their own homes or at local libraries and maker spaces, they are printing door locks, furniture hinges, storage containers and appliance parts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

If I sold that one, just think: I could buy more wire, maybe better hinges than the ones we pulled out of a set of cabinets someone was just throwing out last weekend...

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

But the journey from two teenagers "mucking about with plasticine" to an Oscar-winning animation powerhouse has often hinged on chance decisions, practical compromises and creative instinct.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Richard Windsor, an independent analyst at Radio Free Mobile, said Alphabet’s earnings-per-share figure hinged largely on the “illusory security of a series of unrealized investment returns that will evaporate at the first hint of trouble.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026

But Hockney didn’t ally himself with the movement—or any other—insisting that his vast oeuvre hinged simply on “looking, always looking.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Following the latest round of US-brokered talks in Washington on Wednesday, envoys from Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire that hinged on Iran-backed Hezbollah halting its attacks.

From Barron's ● Jun. 4, 2026

He orders the cadets in Werners class to collect hinged metal boxes from a locked cabinet at the back of the laboratory.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Underlying SpaceX’s record-breaking initial public offering is an equally jaw-dropping set of financial projections hinging on future markets like orbital data centers, space tourism, asteroid mining and more.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 6, 2026

It feels like a relic from a bygone age of simplicity: an entire season of reality TV hinging on the social lives of a group of unpolished teenagers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

For now, economists expect the bank to remain in a wait-and-see mode and hold rates at a meeting later Thursday, with the outlook hinging on how long the Middle East conflict persists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

"Yet maintaining that dominance is perhaps more uncertain than ever, hinging on the right calls around pricing and developing the next generation of devices, particularly wearables and the anticipated foldable iPhone."

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

The Chancellor leans over her, hinging rigidly at her waist like a stick bug.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• depend
• revolve around