A swivel is a device that lets something turn or rotate smoothly in a circle while staying attached at one point, like how an office chair spins around without its base moving. The connection point allows movement, making it easy to change position without getting twisted up.

Swivels appear in many places once you start noticing them. A desk chair has a swivel mechanism that lets you spin to face different directions without standing up. Some desk lamps use swivels so you can adjust the light without moving the whole lamp. Fishing lines often have tiny swivels that prevent the line from tangling when a fish twists and turns underwater.

As a verb, to swivel means to turn or rotate on that kind of connection. You might swivel your chair to talk to the person behind you, or swivel your head quickly when you hear your name called. When someone asks a surprising question, you might see everyone's heads swivel toward the speaker at once. The word captures that smooth, quick rotating motion that makes swivel mechanisms so useful.