hinge Meaning & Definition
What Does Hinge Mean?
As a noun, hinge means A jointed or flexible device that allows the pivoting of a door etc. It can also mean A naturally occurring joint resembling such hardware in form or action, as in the shell of a bivalve. As a verb, it means To attach by, or equip with a hinge. As a verb, it means (with on or upon) To depend on something.
Word Facts for Hinge
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | //ˈhɪnd͡ʒ// |
| Syllables | 1 |
| Synonyms | flexible joint, har and quartile |
| Plural | hinges |
| Verb forms | hinges, hinging, hinged |
Hinge Definition (Noun)
- A jointed or flexible device that allows the pivoting of a door etc.
- A naturally occurring joint resembling such hardware in form or action, as in the shell of a bivalve.
- A stamp hinge, a folded and gummed paper rectangle for affixing postage stamps in an album.
- A principle, or a point in time, on which subsequent reasonings or events depend.
This argument was the hinge on which the question turned.
- The median of the upper or lower half of a batch, sample, or probability distribution.
- One of the four cardinal points, east, west, north, or south.
- A movement that presents itself as rotation when an off-centre fixed point is taken into account.
- In polyamory, a person connected emotionally or sexually to two others who are not connected to each other.
- To be in poor health; to be out of sorts.
Hinge as a Verb
- To attach by, or equip with a hinge.
- (Should we move, merge or split this sense?) To depend on something.
- The breaking off of the distal end of a knapped stone flake whose presumed course across the face of the stone core was truncated prematurely, leaving not a feathered distal end but instead the scar of a nearly perpendicular break.
The flake hinged at an inclusion in the core.
- To bend.
- 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.
Verb
- (with on or upon) To depend on something.
Synonyms of Hinge
Hinge synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Hinge
No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.
Hinge in a Sentence
This argument was the hinge on which the question turned.
The flake hinged at an inclusion in the core.
Word Forms & Grammar
hinge (plural hinges)
hinge (third-person singular simple present hinges, present participle hinging or (uncommon) hingeing, simple past and past participle hinged)
Words That Rhyme With Hinge
Origin of Hinge
From Middle English henge (“hinge”), from Old English *henġ or *henġe (“hinge”), from Proto-West Germanic *hangiju or *hangī; compare Old English *henġe- in henġeclif (“overhanging cliff”), Old English henġen (“hanging; that upon which a thing is hung”). Akin to Scots heenge (“hinge”), Saterland Frisian Hänge (“hinge”), Low German henge (“hook, hinge, handle”), Dutch heng (“moving leaf of a hinge”), Dutch geheng (“hinge”), Middle Dutch henghe, hanghe (“hook, hinge, handle”), Scots hingel (“any attachment by which something is hung or fastened”), Dutch hengel (“hook”), hengsel (“handle”), dialectal German Hängel (“hook, joint”), Henkel (“handle, hook”), Danish hængsel (“hinge”), Faroese hongsl (“hinge”), Icelandic hengsli (“hinge”), Norwegian hengsel (“hinge”), Swedish hängsle (“suspender”), Old English hōn (“to hang”), Old English hangian (“to cause to hang, hang up”). More at hang.
Hinge Pronunciation
Hinge is pronounced //ˈhɪnd͡ʒ// and has 1 syllable.
Hinge: Your Questions Answered
Is hinge a noun or a verb?
Hinge is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for hinge?
Words with a similar meaning to hinge include flexible joint, har and quartile. See the full list of hinge synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of hinge?
The plural of hinge is hinges.
What is the past tense of hinge?
The past tense of hinge is hinged. The present participle is hinging.