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

Analysts say the U.S.’s ability to weather oil disruptions doesn’t hinge on the caverns as much as it used to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Harry Brook appears favourite to be named as Test captain, though that appointment could now hinge on the identity of the next head coach.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

According to Ptak, that will hinge on the SpaceX position’s weighting in a given ETF and where each ETF values their stake ahead of the public listing.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026

“The direction of the market’s travel from here could hinge on whether rates stabilize and incoming data confirms that growth can hold without reigniting inflation,” said Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist at Ameriprise.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

Something started whining like a rusty hinge, and I looked up to spy another seagull circling the dinghy.

From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen

It also hinges on the interviewers, inspectors and epidemiologists willing to track down customers and trace ingredients back through their production and distribution networks.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026

Whether California’s venture-investing boom can continue at this record-breaking pace now hinges on how the IPOs of Anthropic and OpenAI perform.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

The strategist reckons that the next phase of AI hinges on who can deliver useful AI at the lowest cost, which could put China at an advantage.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

All that can be said for certain is that much hinges on it.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

In I went, pushing the door back so the hinges cried out, devils, their thumbs crushed, their pointed noses tweezed.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

The allegations against Cancino largely hinged on two stops, according to his attorney.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

The trial hinged on the question of whether Rogers was knowingly advancing China’s interests in sharing information, or had been duped into helping spies he believed were academics.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026

With a preliminary memorandum of understanding triggering a 60-day period for negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, the health of the global economy is no longer hinged on price swings, they added.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 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

The wall cracks open like a hinged door, leading into the palace kitchen.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

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

“The whole point is that you get to try something that you’ve always wanted to try, and your entire survival is not hinging on it,” Moriarity said.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 14, 2026

Where the S&P 500 goes next is clearly hinging on oil prices and the Strait of Hormuz.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

Celtic blew a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Bologna and leave their qualification hopes hinging on next week's final round of games as arch-rivals Rangers bowed out despite a first win of the competition.

From Barron's ● Jan. 22, 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