Word.ws English Dictionary

linchpins

linchpins is the plural of linchpin.

linchpins is the third-person singular simple present indicative of linchpin.

Meaning of linchpin

Noun

linchpin (plural linchpins)

  1. A pin inserted through holes at the end of an axle or shaft, so as to secure a wheel or shaft-mounted device.
    • In ij camellis ferri vocatis lynspins emptis pro carectis iiijᵈ.1376–7, Compotus Roll Hyde Manor (In the manuscript deeds of Westminster Abbey)
    Synonyms:
    axlepin
  2. (figuratively) A central cohesive source of stability and security; a person or thing that is critical to a system or organisation.
    • What is difficult to appreciate, however, is the discrepancy between his statement to the 'Manchester Guardian' correspondent and his known abhorance for party politics, which is the lynchpin of modern democracy.1958, The Eastern Economist
    Synonyms:
    keystone

See all 3 meanings of linchpin

Questions about linchpins

What is linchpins the plural of?
Linchpins is the plural of linchpin.

Words near linchpins in the dictionary

  1. Linchih
  2. linchis
  3. linchpin
  4. linchpinned
  5. linchpinning
  6. linchpins
  7. Linck
  8. linckoside
  9. Lincks
  10. Lincoff
  11. Lincoln

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: linchpins (page history and authors); linchpin (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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