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

But that advantage evaporated when Ocon retired on the grass lining the climb up the hill from the Tosa hairpin. —Luke Smith, New York Times, 18 May 2025

Retrace mythical Tour de France ascents like Col the Alpe d’Huez, with its 21 hairpin turns, and discover lesser known, yet equally demanding ascents like the Col d’Allos, a road where the average grade can reach 7.8 percent. —Jen Murphy, Outside Online, 13 May 2025

Adjective

Its fluted drawer fronts, golden pulls, and hairpin legs give it an elevated look. —Miles Walls, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Apr. 2025

But a few days before Christmas, a string quartet hauled its instruments up the hairpin stone pathway, into a Franklin Hills living room for a monthly house-show series. —August Brown, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

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