Definition of PIN

\ ˈpin

Definition of pin

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a : 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

2a(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 pluralwobbly on his pins

4 : a fall in wrestling

verb

pinned; pinning

Definition of pin (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : 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 downit is hard to pin down exactly when things changed— Katharine Whittemore

3a : 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)

adjective

Definition of pin (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : of or relating to a pin

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

abbreviation

\ ˈpin

Definition of PIN (Entry 4 of 4)

personal identification number

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about pin

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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 Web: Noun The knots are tied while the top and bottom fabrics are held together with pins or a stitch of thread, which are removed once all knots are tied around the edges of the fabric. — David Anderson, baltimoresun.com, "Make a quilt for a Harford veteran through the 1111 Project," 11 Nov. 2019 And there will be a gift shop, stocked with books, prints and a denim bar so visitors can customize jean jackets with artist pins and patches. — Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, "Art Basel 2019: South Florida’s first Museum of Graffiti, predictably, is coming to Wynwood," 5 Nov. 2019 Black cloaks passed down from an aunt or grandmother could be thrown around a child’s thin shoulders and fastened with a pin. — Beth Thames | Bethmthames@gmail.com, al, "Keep kids safe, but keep Halloween traditions," 23 Oct. 2019 That effectively put a pin in any thoughts of overcoming bad defense with better offense. — BostonGlobe.com, "Miscommunication and missed assignments plagued the secondary. The defensive line perpetually watched Kansas running backs Khalil Herbert and Pooka Williams burst through holes untouched.," 15 Sep. 2019 Just slip the mount over a T-post and latch it in place with a locking pin and carabiner. — John Goodspeed, ExpressNews.com, "Scouting interesting stuff to make hunts more fun," 12 Sep. 2019 My hair stayed neatly curled behind my neck in loose dark waves, held back with pins. — David Canfield, EW.com, "First look: Marie Lu turns to historical fiction in brand-new YA fantasy The Kingdom of Back," 28 June 2019 Such portraits must be hung on the walls of all households and public offices in North Korea, and North Koreans are required to wear lapel pins bearing the images of the late leaders. — Washington Post, "North Korean-themed restaurant in Seoul removes Kim images," 16 Sep. 2019 For years the single twisting block of Lombard, with its eight hair-pin turns and colorful flower boxes, has drawn over 2 million people a year, many of them in cars. — Phil Matier, SFChronicle.com, "Lombard Street reservation plan faces one final twist — in Sacramento," 11 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The battery was the biggest real sticking-point in the teardown—pun not intended—as its connector is pinned under the board, and the whole thing is glued down. — Jim Salter, Ars Technica, "Microsoft finally built a repairable Surface Laptop," 24 Oct. 2019 Punch thrown Emotions ran high in the third quarter as Clemson's Andrew Booth Jr., pinned Louisville safety Trenell Troutman to the ground and punched him. — David J. Kim, The Courier-Journal, "Lack of execution costs Louisville football early points and a chance against Clemson," 19 Oct. 2019 Police pinned detainees to the floor and hauled them away. — John Leicester, San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘Be water’: Police swoop as Hong Kong protests shift tactics," 13 Oct. 2019 That also means that for the most part, Tanaka has kept the normally boisterous Houston fans pinned to their seats, and there is a growing sense of anxiety among the 43,311 supporters in Minute Maid Park. — James Wagner, New York Times, "How the Yankees Won Game 1 of the A.L.C.S.," 12 Oct. 2019 Her mind would pin her into dark places and persuade her to keep prying open a wound on her hand. — Conor Orr, SI.com, "Everything Andrew Luck Was, Is and Will Be," 3 Sep. 2019 Both girls wore white gowns of their own, with their hair pinned back and accented with pink flowers, for the beautiful day. — Georgia Slater, PEOPLE.com, "Dwayne Johnson Shares the Real Story Behind Photo of His Daughter Throwing Flowers at His Wedding," 3 Sep. 2019 The Rottweilers then pinned Francisco to the ground and tore at him until police arrived. — Sharon Grigsby, Dallas News, "Felony case in dog mauling at Far East Dallas park is headed to grand jury," 28 June 2019 Some of them are pinned together in split screen, and some are sitting in that Slide Over section. — Dieter Bohn, The Verge, "iPadOS public beta preview: worthy of the new name," 24 June 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective When ball is covered, cut off excess and pin end to ball. — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, "Charm Balls," 9 Sep. 2019 Timex, whose watch output through the 1970s was still mostly pin-lever mechanicals, had become the world’s top watch company in sales through a policy of cut-throat price-cutting that wiped out competitors. — Bloomberg.com, "Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Meets With President Trump," 27 Feb. 2018 Timex, whose watch output through the 1970s was still mostly pin-lever mechanicals, had become the world’s top watch company in sales through a policy of cut-throat price-cutting that wiped out competitors. — Bloomberg.com, "Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Meets With President Trump," 27 Feb. 2018

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.

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Last Updated

14 Nov 2019

Time Traveler for pin

The first known use of pin was before the 12th century

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More Definitions for pin

noun

English Language Learners Definition of pin

(Entry 1 of 2)

: 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

English Language Learners Definition of pin (Entry 2 of 2)

: to fasten or attach (something) with a pin

: to prevent or stop (someone or something) from moving by holding or pressing firmly against something

See the full definition for pin in the English Language Learners Dictionary

noun

\ ˈpin

Kids Definition of pin

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

pinned; pinning

Kids Definition of pin (Entry 2 of 2)

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.

noun

\ ˈpin

Medical Definition of pin

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

pinned; pinning

Medical Definition of pin (Entry 2 of 3)

: to fasten, join, or secure with a pin

abbreviation

Medical Definition of PIN (Entry 3 of 3)

prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia

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