hairpin

1 of 2

noun

hair·​pin ˈher-ˌpin 

1

: a pin to hold the hair in place

specifically : a long U-shaped pin

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

specifically : a sharp U-shaped turn in a road

hairpin

2 of 2

adjective

: having the shape of a hairpin

a hairpin turn

also : having hairpin turns

a steep hairpin road

Examples of hairpin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Casual conversation spanned from the girls' last year of college feelings to guests showing their party tricks—O'Malley inspired with a French hairpin twist while Sadie Skibeli shared her excitement of finally learning what TriBeCa stands for. —Lea Donenberg, Vogue, 11 June 2024

Advertisement The twisting road that snakes through the Hollywood Hills is famous for its hairpin turns and sweeping views. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024

Adjective

After he was nudged from behind, Josh Berry drove into traffic in the hairpin Turn 11, causing damage to at least seven cars. —Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 9 June 2024

The roller coaster features two vertical loops — one that's over 116 feet — and a series of corkscrews and hairpin turns. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 17 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin

-ˌpin

1

: a U-shaped pin to hold the hair in place

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

especially : an extremely sharp turn in a road

hairpin adjective

Medical Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin ˈha(ə)r-ˌpin, ˈhe(ə)r- 

variants also hairpin loop

: a region in single-stranded RNA or DNA that is double-stranded due to pairing between purine and pyrimidine bases in adjacent sequences of the RNA or DNA that are complementary and inverted