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# pivot

«pivot» in Mova's school dictionary: **the fixed point or pin on which something turns or balances** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a pivot, pivots); verb (pivot, pivots, pivoted, pivoting)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A pivot is the fixed point or pin on which something turns or balances. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#m1)

2) To pivot is to turn around on one point. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#m2)

3) A pivot is the most important part that everything else depends on. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#m3)

4) In basketball and netball, to pivot is to keep one foot still and turn on it. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#m4)

### sense in the lessons

In science, a lever (like a seesaw) turns about a pivot, also called a fulcrum: a light child far from the pivot can balance a heavy child close to it. Door hinges and scissors have pivots. In PE, pivoting is a key skill in basketball and netball. Phrases: «turn on a pivot», «pivot point», «pivot on your foot».

### examples

- A seesaw balances on a pivot in the middle. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x1)
- The pivot of a pair of scissors is the screw that joins the blades. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x2)
- In netball you can pivot on your landing foot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x3)
- She pivoted and ran the other way. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x4)
- The door pivots on its hinges. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x5)
- Move the weight further from the pivot to lift more. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x6)
- The whole plan pivoted on the weather. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x7)
- The compass needle turns on a tiny pivot. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/#x8)

### note

Regular verb with one «t»: pivoted, pivoting. In science, «pivot» and «fulcrum» mean the same. In maths and science problems: the farther a force is from the pivot, the bigger its turning effect.

### In the corpora

- ["Pivot" often means a change of plan because the first plan failed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/23-fees-bugs-and-spin/15/)
- ["A pivot" (US business jargon) means a change of plan after the first plan failed.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/34-failure-and-mistakes/14/)
- [In a wheelbarrow the wheel is the pivot, and the load is easiest to lift when it sits close to the wheel.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/physics/33-levers-lifting-heavy-things-with-a-little-push/10/)
- [Turning a question towards the topic you want to talk about is called pivoting; talking points are lines prepared in advance.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/politics/11-debates-and-rows-on-chat-shows/17/)
- [A lever is a stiff bar that turns around a point called the pivot.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/52-simple-machines/2/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pivot» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pivot/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.