hinge
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A circumstance upon which later events depend.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
hinjIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈhɪndʒ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A circumstance upon which subsequent events depend
“His absence is the hinge of our plan.”
A principle, or a point in time, on which subsequent reasonings or events depend.
A jointed or flexible device that allows the pivoting of a door etc.
A stamp hinge, a folded and gummed paper rectangle for affixing postage stamps in an album.
A naturally occurring joint resembling such hardware in form or action, as in the shell of a bivalve.
In polyamory, a person connected emotionally or sexually to two others who are not connected to each other.
verb
intransitivewith on or upon
To depend on something.
To move or already be positioned in such a fashion that it presents itself as rotation when an off-centre fixed point is taken into account.
transitive
To attach by, or equip with a hinge.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A circumstance upon which subsequent events depend
Used this way, hinge is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“His absence is the hinge of our plan.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “hinge of …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Natural pattern: hinge of …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use hinge
- “His absence is the hinge of our plan.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A freely moving joint in which the bones are so articulated as to allow extensive movement in one plane.
Be contingent on.
Be contingent on.
The gatepost on which the gate is hung.
A hinge with two long straps.
A hinge that looks like the letter T when it is opened.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.