swivel
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
swivuhlSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈswɪvəl
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.
verb
intransitive
To swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot.
“You can swivel the chair to face the window.”
noun
The act of swivelling.
mechanical
A piece, such as a ring or hook, attached to another piece by a pin, in such a manner as to permit rotation about the pin as an axis.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To swing or turn, as on a pin or pivot.
Used this way, swivel is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“You can swivel the chair to face the window.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use swivel
- “The office chair can swivel around, making it easy to reach different parts of the desk.”verb
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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 chair that swivels on its base.
Bolt that provides a steering joint in a motor vehicle.
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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.