pivot

[piv-uh t]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pivot ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a pin, point, or short shaft on the end of which something rests and turns, or upon and about which something rotates or oscillates.

the end of a shaft or arbor, resting and turning in a bearing.

any thing or person on which something or someone functions or depends vitally: He is the pivot of my life.

the person in a line, as of troops on parade, whom the others use as a point about which to wheel or maneuver.

a whirling about on one foot.

Basketball. the act of keeping one foot in place while holding the ball and moving the other foot one step in any direction, so as not to be charged with walking.

Basketball.

an offensive position in the front court, usually played by the center, in which the player stands facing away from the offensive basket and serves as the pivot of the offense by setting up plays through passing, making screens, and taking shots.
Also called pivotman.the player who plays in the pivot position.

Dentistry. (formerly) dowel(def 4).

verb (used without object)

to turn on or as on a pivot.

Basketball. to keep one foot in place while holding the ball and moving the other foot one step in any direction.

verb (used with object)

to mount on, attach by, or provide with a pivot or pivots.

Origin of pivot

1605–15; < French pivot (noun), pivoter (v.), Old French < ?

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for pivoted

whirl, swivel, rotate, depend, veer, twirl, wheel, sheer, hang, rely, hinge, turn, spin, whip, volte-face

Examples from the Web for pivoted

Contemporary Examples of pivoted

The last time America pivoted to Asia was on December 7, 1941, when Japan attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor.
Is Obama’s Asia Pivot More Than Talk?
Mark Perry
April 26, 2014
Gogglebox, which is an hour-long, is pivoted on the newsiest British television of the week, and edited right up to broadcast.
Watching Us, Watching Them: On ‘The People’s Couch’
Tim Teeman
March 20, 2014
She pivoted to slam the "lame stream media," hitting the "sock puppets" on "MS-LSD" for their biased coverage.
Sarah Palin Rewrites Dr. Seuss
Olivia Nuzzi
March 9, 2014
She did acknowledge that, um, Obama won the election in November, but then pivoted to a lame teleprompter joke.
Sarah Palin Plays CPAC for Laughs
Howard Kurtz
March 16, 2013
Paul pivoted off his filibuster by reprising its theme: “My question was whether presidential power has limits.”
Marco Rubio Wows CPAC
Howard Kurtz
March 14, 2013

Historical Examples of pivoted

Round behind Teutoberg he pivoted—a wrestling trick he had learned as a boy.
The Space Rover
Edwin K. Sloat
This bar is also of copper or brass and is pivoted to the fingers.
Electricity for Boys
J. S. Zerbe
She pivoted on her heel, hit the door, and her heels were clattering on the stairs.
Police Your Planet
Lester del Rey
Slowly, he pivoted his chair, to look at the entertainment screen.
Final Weapon
Everett B. Cole
Next, the gooseneck of the truss, on which it pivoted, smashed away.
The Mutiny of the Elsinore
Jack London

British Dictionary definitions for pivoted

pivot

noun

a short shaft or pin supporting something that turns; fulcrum

the end of a shaft or arbor that terminates in a bearing

a person or thing upon which progress, success, etc, depends

the person or position from which a military formation takes its reference, as when altering position

verb

(tr) to mount on or provide with a pivot or pivots

(intr) to turn on or as if on a pivot

Word Origin for pivot

C17: from Old French; perhaps related to Old Provençal pua tooth of a comb

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

Word Origin and History for pivoted

pivot

1610s, from French pivot, from Old French pivot "hinge pin, pivot" (12c.), also "penis," of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of "central point" is recorded from 1813.

pivot

by 1841, from French pivoter and from pivot (n). Related: Pivoted; pivoting.