pivot
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 →
2) To pivot is to turn around on one point. tree →
3) A pivot is the most important part that everything else depends on. tree →
4) In basketball and netball, to pivot is to keep one foot still and turn on it. tree →
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 →
- The pivot of a pair of scissors is the screw that joins the blades. tree →
- In netball you can pivot on your landing foot. tree →
- She pivoted and ran the other way. tree →
- The door pivots on its hinges. tree →
- Move the weight further from the pivot to lift more. tree →
- The whole plan pivoted on the weather. tree →
- The compass needle turns on a tiny pivot. tree →
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.
- "A pivot" (US business jargon) means a change of plan after the first plan failed.
- In a wheelbarrow the wheel is the pivot, and the load is easiest to lift when it sits close to the wheel.
- Turning a question towards the topic you want to talk about is called pivoting; talking points are lines prepared in advance.
- A lever is a stiff bar that turns around a point called the pivot.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «pivot» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.