Meaning & use

lynchpin

noun·Academic

A person or thing that is essential to holding together or making an organization or plan work.

See it in a sentence

The head engineer was the lynchpin of the entire construction project.

Trust between the two nations is the lynchpin of the peace agreement.

A note on using this word

Lynchpin is a common variant spelling of linchpin, which originally named the pin that keeps a wheel on its axle.

Words with a similar meaning

linchpinkeystone

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “lynchpin”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.