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Glite Dictionary
to hinge upon

to hinge upon

2 5.5
To depend completely on something for the result
  • phrasal verb
  • /hɪndʒ əˈpɒn/
  • Formal
translation icon : depender de
  • The outcome of the negotiations may hinge upon the willingness of both parties to compromise.
  • hinges upon ability

Examples

  • The achievement of our goal does not hinge upon it.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Every battle in the world is hinged upon who can stay on his feet.

    Ignatius of Loyola (2016)

  • I thought maybe the fate of the entire universe hinged upon it or something.

    Blog text (7)

  • The whole thing hinged upon the fact that your great-grandfather died.

    Academic text (2014)

  • Superb instruction for a diverse elementary student population hinges upon effective communication.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Our ability to maintain a competitive advantage in vital global arenas directly hinges upon our ability to significantly improve the academic performance of our students.

    Academic text (2015)

  • However, like NAFTA, the environmental test of CAFTA will ultimately hinge upon changes in environmental quality indicators in the Central American countries.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The possibility of the widespread adoption of the EAMs hinges upon the nature of the EAMs developed.

    Academic text (2005)

  • If a CSB member receives less than what was expected, the tax consequences hinge upon the nature of the initial investment and the terms of the CSB agreement.

    Academic text (2018)

  • The success of our business strategy will hinge upon how well we understand our customers' needs.

Synonyms

to depend
vsto hinge upon
∞ 1.1

To be decided by another thing, for example the weather

is absolute determination rather than general contingency
to depend on
vsto hinge upon
819 1.7

Be affected or decided by something

is total determination rather than possible partial influence
to ride
vsto hinge upon
244 5.3

To depend on something for the result

is complete determination rather than a colloquial way to describe influence
to depend upon
vsto hinge upon
67 2.3

To be decided by something such as the weather

is full and decisive determination not just conditional influence
to hinge on
vsto hinge upon
37 4.2

Need one thing to happen for another thing to be true

is total control by that condition rather than a weaker link
to turn on
vsto hinge upon
20 4.1

To depend on something

is full dependence rather than an outcome that simply varies with it
to hinge
vsto hinge upon
12 4.3

To depend on something for a result

is full determination rather than partial or conditional influence
to hang upon
vsto hinge upon
5.4

Depend on something that decides the result

is total reliance rather than a general or casual link

How Dependent

to hinge upon
  • Formal
2 5.5
to depend on
309 1.0
to rest on
58 3.7
to influence
591 2.2
related to
484 2.0

Surface Forms

hinge upon infinitive
hinged upon past
hinged upon past participle
hinging upon present participle
hinges upon third person singular

Morphology

hinge + upon

The sense 'to depend on' is directly derivable from combining 'hinge' (to act as a pivot) with the preposition 'upon' (on/top of): if something 'hinges upon' X it literally pivots or rests on X, so its outcome depends on X. This metaphorical pivoting is a transparent compositional extension that follows normal English patterns, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings can reasonably infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb hinge upon comes from the picture of a door on its hinge: whether the door opens or stays shut is decided at that small pivot point. So when something hinges upon another thing, it 'depends on' that thing.