Definition of "lynchpin" []

• Variant of linchpin. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "An unnamed Saudi adviser tells CNN the two sides see eye to eye and that Saudi Arabia will play a stronger role in the region and become what he called a lynchpin of U.S. policy."
• "Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, a Bangladeshi living in east London, was described as the lynchpin of the gang and admitted plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange."
• "The lynchpin might be a winning lottery ticket or a new job or a piece of real estate everyone wants."