Definition of PIN

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noun \ ˈpin \

Definition of pin

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 a (1) :a very thin small pointed metal pin with a head used especially for fastening cloth

(2) :little, trifle

bother them all! I don't care a pin about them
—Bram Stoker

b :an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin

c (1) :bobby pin

(2) :hairpin

(3) :safety pin

3 :leg —usually used in plural

wobbly on his pins

4 :a fall in wrestling

See pin defined for English-language learners

See pin defined for kids

Examples of pin in a Sentence

He handed out pins with the peace sign on them.
a cat that was still a little unsteady on its pins after anesthesia

Recent Examples of pin from the Web

On the concourse, a version of the pin-the-tail game unfolds, though the targets are the backsides of actual players with Velcro versions of their, well, tails.

— bryce miller, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Tijuana baseball a wild, winning adventure for Toros," 15 Aug. 2017
Carrying his bags, featuring a special, hexagonal de-planing pin.

— kia makarechi, vanityfair.com, "The Best Looks from Anthony Scaramucci’s 10 Days as White House Communications Director," 31 July 2017
There are rhapsodic tweets, and pins on Pinterest, and the pink stuff even made a cameo on a Buzzfeed list of ’90s childhood memorabilia.

— julie beck, The Atlantic, "The Tastiest Medicine," 18 July 2017
Guthrie said the foundation had been reinforced with steel pins in 2016, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

— lindsey bever, Washington Post, "A sinkhole swallowed 2 Florida homes in hours. The devastation was captured on video.," 15 July 2017
Garments are restored with the use of patches, embroidery, creative stitching, and decorative safety pins.

— marielle wakim, Los Angeles Magazine, "Best of LA: 92 of Our Favorite Things to Eat, Do, and Buy Right Now," 14 July 2017
WHEN a Serb gunman shot an Austrian archduke in the summer of 1914, the nations of Europe tumbled into war with all the grace of bowling pins.

— The Economist, "If the Ottoman Empire had not collapsedHad the Ottoman Empire been saved rather than sunk," 13 July 2017
The fast-food mecca is launching a line of merch — yes, merch — complete with apparel, pins, home goods, and one very creepy Colonel Sanders pillowcase, according to a press release.

— zoë weiner, Teen Vogue, "KFC Is Launching a Line of Fried-Chicken Couture," 12 July 2017
Jason Mannina, the head PGA professional at Deerfield Golf Club, said the tournament will use normal pin locations.

— steve sadin, chicagotribune.com, "Youth golf, community service at the heart of annual Kellman Memorial," 10 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pin.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pin

Middle English, from Old English pinn (akin to Old High German pfinn peg), perhaps from Latin pinna quill, feather — more at pen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

pin Synonyms

Synonyms

leg

Related Words

member; foreleg, forelimb; calf, drumstick, ham, shank, shin, thigh

verb

Definition of pin

pinned; pinning

transitive verb

1 a :to fasten, join, or secure with a pin

b :to hold fast or immobile

c :to present (a young woman) with a fraternity pin as a pledge of affection

2 a :fasten

pinned his hopes on a miracle

pin the blame on someone else

b :to assign the blame or responsibility for

pin the robbery on a night watchman

c :to define or determine clearly or precisely —usually used with down

it is hard to pin down exactly when things changed
—Katharine Whittemore

3 a :to make (a chess opponent's piece) unable to move without exposing the king to check or a valuable piece to capture

b of a wrestler :to secure a fall over (an opponent)

See pin defined for English-language learners

Examples of pin in a Sentence

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 of pin from the Web

What makes the saga frustrating is that the determination of so many of the People of the Bern to pin legitimate grievances about the nomination process on the DNC flies in the face of some basic facts.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Vote-Rigging Suit Against DNC Dropped, Mostly Because The DNC Can’t Rig Much of Anything," 30 Aug. 2017
Among the activities in his first full week back to work, Gov. Butch Otter presided over a pinning ceremony Tuesday promoting Idaho Army National Guard Col.

— cynthia sewell, idahostatesman, "As Idaho’s cowboy governor ages, experts say his surgeries carry more risks," 18 Aug. 2017
The exact nature of Mark Zuckerberg’s ambitions are a bit hard to pin down.

— vanityfair.com, "Is Mark Zuckerberg Killing Silicon Valley?," 10 Aug. 2017
The weather could shift in an hour from fierce equatorial sun beating down on sapphire seas to high swells and pin-sharp rain.

— peter guest, The Atlantic, "What It's Like to Draw Blood From a Whale Shark," 8 Aug. 2017
In February 1983, two months before its public debut, the museum invited all budding shutterbugs to bring photos to the museum and pin them to the walls.

— karla peterson, Pacific San Diego Magazine, "#TBSD: Picture perfect," 4 Aug. 2017
Given its popularity, pinning down the henley’s biggest fan is hard.

— alex ronan, The Cut, "If You Don’t Own This Shirt, Then You’re Not a Male Celebrity," 18 July 2017
The driver of the car that ended up in the basement of an Aberdeen home on July 4 and pinned a teenager for more than an hour was cited Sunday in the crash, police said.

— erika butler, The Aegis, "Driver charged after car crashes into Aberdeen house," 10 July 2017
The cease-fire for southern Syria, set to start at noon Sunday, is meant to keep all forces pinned to their current positions, said Jordan’s government which participated in the talks.

— karin laub, The Seattle Times, "South Syria truce to allay Jordan, Israel fears about Iran," 8 July 2017

First Known Use of pin

14th century

adjective

Definition of pin

1 :of or relating to a pin

2 of leather :having a grain suggesting the heads of pins

First Known Use of pin

circa 1523

play

abbreviation \ ˈpin \

Definition of PIN

personal identification number

See PIN defined for English-language learners

PIN Defined for English Language Learners

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noun

Definition of pin for English Language Learners

: a thin, pointed piece of stiff wire with a rounded head at one end that is used especially for fastening pieces of cloth
: a thin, pointed piece of stiff wire with a decoration at one end
: a small usually circular object that has writing and often a picture on it and that has a pin on the back so that it can be fastened to clothing, bags, etc.

verb

Definition of pin for English Language Learners

: to fasten or attach (something) with a pin
: to prevent or stop (someone or something) from moving by holding or pressing firmly against something

PIN Defined for Kids

play

noun \ ˈpin \

Definition of pin for Students

1 :a small pointed piece of wire with a rounded head used especially for fastening pieces of cloth

2 :something (as an ornament or badge) fastened to the clothing by a pin

3 :a slender pointed piece (as of wood or metal) usually having the shape of a cylinder used to fasten articles together or in place

4 :one of ten pieces set up as the target in bowling

verb

Definition of pin for Students

pinned; pinning

1 :to fasten or join with a pin She pinned a sign on the wall.

2 :to prevent or be prevented from moving

The guards pinned his arms to his sides.

Medical Dictionary

play

noun \ ˈpin \

medical Definition of pin

1 :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

transitive verb

medical Definition of pin

pinned; pinning

:to fasten, join, or secure with a pin

abbreviation

medical Definition of PIN

prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia

Learn More about pin

See words that rhyme with pin Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pin Spanish Central: Translation of pin Nglish: Translation of pin for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pin for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pin

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pin

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PIN Defined for English Language Learners

pin

Definition of pin for English Language Learners

pin

Definition of pin for English Language Learners

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pin

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medical Definition of pin

pin

medical Definition of pin

PIN

medical Definition of PIN

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