plural pins
1
a
: a piece of solid material (such as wood or metal) used especially for fastening things together or as a support by which one thing may be suspended from another
b
obsolete
: the center peg of a target
also
: the center itself
c
: something that resembles a pin especially in slender elongated form
an electrical connector pin
d(1)
: one of the pieces constituting the target in various games (such as bowling)
(2)
: the peg at which a quoit is pitched
(3)
: the staff of the flag marking a hole on a golf course
e
: a peg for regulating the tension of the strings of a musical instrument
f
: the part of a key stem that enters a lock
g
: a belaying pin
2
b
: an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin
3
: leg
—usually used in plural
wobbly on his pins
4
: a fall in wrestling
pinned; pinning; pins
1
a
: to fasten, join, or secure with a pin
She pinned the corsage to her dress.
… all the big brass is standing at attention and the biggest brass of all is waiting to pin a medal on my chest …—
Ray Russell
Ray Russell
b
: to hold fast or immobile
The three men held him pinned against the wall …—Joseph Conrad
Joseph ConradRescue crews freed the people who were pinned under the wreckage.
(figurative) They were pinned down by enemy fire.
see also pin down
c
: to present (a young woman) with a fraternity pin as a pledge of affection
2
a
: to make (something) contingent or dependent : fasten
—usually used with on
Pinterest is pinning its future on Wall Street, with the digital scrapbooking site … filing for an initial public offering of stock.—Rebecca Bellan
see also pin one's hopes on
Rebecca Bellan
b
: to assign the blame or responsibility for
They tried to pin the robbery on a night watchman
see also pin the blame on
c
: to define or determine clearly or precisely
—usually used with down
it is hard to pin down exactly when things changed—Katharine Whittemore
Katharine Whittemore
d
computers
: to fix (something, such as a message, a file, or an icon) in place for convenient viewing or access
This is one of the most useful features of the new Twitter—you can pin a tweet on your profile so that it stays on top …—Luana Spinetti
Luana Spinetti"Need to pin a file or a message to the channel so people can access it quickly and easily? No problem!" Slack said in a blog post on the new feature today.—Jordan Novet
Jordan NovetMany companies scrambled to get their heads around how to use their existing technology infrastructure to work remotely. For them, Microsoft Teams was just an icon pinned to their menu bar that lay dormant.—Property Week
Property Week3
a
: to make (a chess opponent's piece) unable to move without exposing the king to check or a valuable piece to capture
The white queen pins the black bishop.
b
of a wrestler
: to secure a fall (see fall entry 2 sense 9c(1)) over (an opponent)
In five years of wrestling at Exeter, I probably pinned no more than a half-dozen opponents. I was almost never pinned—only twice, in fact.—John Irving
John Irving1
: of or relating to a pin
2
of leather
: having a grain suggesting the heads of pins
personal identification number
Synonyms
Examples of pin in a Sentence
Noun
He handed out pins with the peace sign on them.
a cat that was still a little unsteady on its pins after anesthesia
Verb
She pinned a rose to her dress.
The general pinned the medal on the soldier.
She pinned up her hair.
He pinned a sign on the wall.
The passengers were pinned under the wreckage.
The guards pinned his arms to his sides.
She was pinned against the side of the car.
Recent Examples on the WebBoone Ashworth, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Take a push pin and punch a small hole carefully in the center of the aluminum foil.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
Hough, 38, opted for a light blue suit and a colorful lapel pin.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The hillside work involved removing debris, grading and compacting the slope, installing pins, and placing plastic tarps and stakes.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The moat revealed a trove of artifacts, including pins, clothing, shoe buckles, metal dishes, keys and padlocks.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Just don’t lose a piece or the whole set is trash.
2024 Cherry Blossom Festival pin: $5
There’s a new design every year.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Tape a piece of aluminum foil over that cut-out shape, then use a pin or thumbtack to poke a tiny hole in the foil.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Flip the paper over, and use a pin or thumbtack to poke a small hole in the foil.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 27 Mar. 2024
Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
Sultry TikTok-ers demonstrate how to strap oneself into a corset-like garment that pins back the shoulders, while buff YouTube influencers explain how to appear inches taller by unfurling a tech-bent spine.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The top portion of her hair was brushed back from her face and teased for a bit of volume at the front, then pinned at the crown, and the lower layers were styled in a cheeky, flirty little flick at the ends.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Apr. 2024
A lot of people pin their hopes on fat burners as the best way to lose weight.
—Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The Dutch royal pinned the brooches on a diagonal of her jacket at the MIND Us event in The Hague, which marked the kickoff of an online tool to help adults start positive conservations with young people about mental health.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
On the other hand, Ming Lee Simmons pinned her hair up into a fanned bun.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
The deputy opens and closes the door, and at one point reopens the door and the boy is dragged out of the back seat and pinned facedown on the ground.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
Now our hopes instead are pinned on the more solitary figures trudging through the Mordor-like pits and plains of lawsuits and countersuits.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Essence Beauty Editors, Essence, 25 Oct. 2023
As a light and fussy sleeper, the enveloping bed, blackout curtains, and pin-drop silence did not go unnoticed.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 July 2023
This Best of Beauty-winning pick features one-inch ceramic plates that heat up to an optimum styling temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit to create pin-straight strands or soft waves in seconds.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 27 Mar. 2023
Jenni Kayne The celebrity-favorite fashion designer (Mandy Moore and Minka Kelly are fans) partnered with super-chic homegoods line Parachute to create two timeless items: a cozy alpaca throw and a pin-stripe linen duvet set, available in gray and ivory.
—Megan Stein, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2023
To really seal the deal, use a flat iron to get that pin-straight finish.
—Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 9 Mar. 2023
The user can zoom-in and see the individual notes and words with pin-sharp clarity.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2011
To mark the occasion, Florence Pugh walked the red carpet with a new micro fringe, which had a deep side parting, while the rest of her hair was swept into an updo, with the ends fanned out in a pin-straight halo around her head.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 19 Feb. 2023
First there's a race across a 2 millimeter distance, or the equivalent to the diameter of a pin head.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2023
Noun
Devices like the Rabbit R1 and Humane AI pin aim to take mind-numbing tasks off your phone and let an AI assistant handle them.
—Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024
Take a push pin and punch a small hole carefully in the center of the aluminum foil.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 7 Apr. 2024
Hough, 38, opted for a light blue suit and a colorful lapel pin.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The hillside work involved removing debris, grading and compacting the slope, installing pins, and placing plastic tarps and stakes.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The moat revealed a trove of artifacts, including pins, clothing, shoe buckles, metal dishes, keys and padlocks.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
Just don’t lose a piece or the whole set is trash.
2024 Cherry Blossom Festival pin: $5
There’s a new design every year.
—Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
Tape a piece of aluminum foil over that cut-out shape, then use a pin or thumbtack to poke a tiny hole in the foil.
—Jesse Kirsch, NBC News, 28 Mar. 2024
Flip the paper over, and use a pin or thumbtack to poke a small hole in the foil.
—Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 27 Mar. 2024
Verb
Arizona Democrats sought to pin the ruling on contemporary Republicans, even as some in the GOP distanced themselves from the decision.
—Ronald J. Hansen, The Arizona Republic, 9 Apr. 2024
Sultry TikTok-ers demonstrate how to strap oneself into a corset-like garment that pins back the shoulders, while buff YouTube influencers explain how to appear inches taller by unfurling a tech-bent spine.
—Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
The top portion of her hair was brushed back from her face and teased for a bit of volume at the front, then pinned at the crown, and the lower layers were styled in a cheeky, flirty little flick at the ends.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Apr. 2024
A lot of people pin their hopes on fat burners as the best way to lose weight.
—Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The Dutch royal pinned the brooches on a diagonal of her jacket at the MIND Us event in The Hague, which marked the kickoff of an online tool to help adults start positive conservations with young people about mental health.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
On the other hand, Ming Lee Simmons pinned her hair up into a fanned bun.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 25 Mar. 2024
The deputy opens and closes the door, and at one point reopens the door and the boy is dragged out of the back seat and pinned facedown on the ground.
—Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press, 22 Mar. 2024
Now our hopes instead are pinned on the more solitary figures trudging through the Mordor-like pits and plains of lawsuits and countersuits.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Adjective
This includes her soft pink makeup and pin-thin eyebrows at the Billboard Awards in 2004, and curly, honey-brown hair and berry gloss at the SoulTrain Awards in 2007.
—Essence Beauty Editors, Essence, 25 Oct. 2023
As a light and fussy sleeper, the enveloping bed, blackout curtains, and pin-drop silence did not go unnoticed.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 July 2023
This Best of Beauty-winning pick features one-inch ceramic plates that heat up to an optimum styling temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit to create pin-straight strands or soft waves in seconds.
—Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 27 Mar. 2023
Jenni Kayne The celebrity-favorite fashion designer (Mandy Moore and Minka Kelly are fans) partnered with super-chic homegoods line Parachute to create two timeless items: a cozy alpaca throw and a pin-stripe linen duvet set, available in gray and ivory.
—Megan Stein, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2023
To really seal the deal, use a flat iron to get that pin-straight finish.
—Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 9 Mar. 2023
The user can zoom-in and see the individual notes and words with pin-sharp clarity.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2011
To mark the occasion, Florence Pugh walked the red carpet with a new micro fringe, which had a deep side parting, while the rest of her hair was swept into an updo, with the ends fanned out in a pin-straight halo around her head.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 19 Feb. 2023
First there's a race across a 2 millimeter distance, or the equivalent to the diameter of a pin head.
—IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pin
Cite this Entry
“Pin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pin
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a piece of wood, metal, or plastic used especially for fastening things together or for hanging one thing from another
b
: something that resembles a pin especially in long slender form
a pin that makes an electrical connection
c
: one of the pieces that make up the target in various games (as bowling)
d
: the staff of the flag marking a hole on a golf course
e
: a peg for regulating the tension of the strings of a musical instrument
2
a
: a very thin small pointed metal pin with a head used especially for fastening cloth
b
: little entry 3 sense 1, trifle
doesn't care a pin what they think
c
: an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin
d
: a device (as a hairpin or safety pin) for fastening
pin
2 of 2 verb
pinned; pinning
1
a
: to fasten, join, or secure with or as if with a pin
b
: to prevent or be prevented from moving
pinned under the wreckage
2
: to assign the blame or responsibility for
Medical Definition
pin
1 of 3 noun1
: a metal rod driven into or through a fractured bone to immobilize it
2
: a metal rod driven into the root of a reconstructed tooth to provide support for a crown or into the jaw to provide support for an artificial tooth
pin
2 of 3 transitive verb
pinned; pinning
: to fasten, join, or secure with a pin
PIN
3 of 3 abbreviation
prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share