hinge

American  

[hinj] / hɪndʒ /

noun

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)

hinged, hinging

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)

hinged, hinging

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

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

Etymology

Origin of hinge

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

Example Sentences

In a show that hinges on a character who was computer-animated in the films, many critics praised the way Paddington is represented on stage.

From BBC

It connects the cheek region to the jaw hinge and is missing in modern lizards and snakes.

From Science Daily

"Future competition will increasingly hinge upon cost control and supply-chain efficiency, and these are areas where China holds clear advantages," he told AFP.

From Barron's

Investors have grown skeptical of Sable, whose entire business hinges on the California bet.

From The Wall Street Journal

It will also hinge on the success of the monumental logistical operation at the heart of Operation Plan Germany, the 1,200 page-long classified document drafted behind the nondescript walls of the Julius Leber Barracks.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• depend
• revolve around