hinge on — depend critically on
phrasal verbC1IELTS 7+neutraloccasional
To depend completely or be determined by a particular factor, decision, or condition.
Say it like a native
Textbook The entire outcome is contingent upon this single decision.
Native The whole thing hinges on this one decision.
'Hinge on' vividly says 'depends entirely on'; 'contingent upon' is legalistic.
Pattern: hinge on + noun/gerund
In use
- Whether we go ahead with the trip really hinges on the weather forecast.work
- In my opinion, the success of any educational reform hinges on the commitment of both teachers and students to adapt to new methods.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Everything hinges in the result.
✓ Everything hinges on the result.
It's 'hinge ON something', not 'in'.
Common collocations
hinge on— on, everything, the outcome, largely
Don't confuse it
'Depend on' can be used for general reliance, but 'hinge on' stresses that everything depends on one main thing. For example, 'The project depends on funding' (general), but 'The project's success hinges on getting the grant' (the grant is the crucial factor).