Fulcrum

//ˈfʊlk.ɹəm// name, noun

name, noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The support about which a lever pivots.

    "It is possible to flick food across the table using your fork as a lever and your finger as a fulcrum."

  2. 2
    the pivot about which a lever turns wordnet
  3. 3
    A crux or pivot; a central point. figuratively

    "By this point the fulcrum of concern is the stuprum of men upon men, described as more prevalent than that upon women."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    NATO code name for the Soviet MiG-29 aircraft.

Synonyms

All synonyms
advocatealpenstockarborarmathletic supporteraxis

Example

More examples

"Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin fulcrum (“bedpost, foot of a couch”), from fulciō (“prop up, support”).

More for "fulcrum"

SynonymsSentencesPronunciationTranslate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonymsSee usage examplesCheck pronunciationBrowse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.