pinstripe

noun

pin·​stripe ˈpin-ˌstrīp 

variants or less commonly pin-stripe or pin stripe

plural pinstripes also pin-stripes or pin stripes

1

: a very thin stripe especially on a fabric

… sporting a loose brown vest with tan and blue pinstripes …

—Donnell Alexander

—often used before another noun

pinstripe pants

a pin-stripe blazer

2

: clothing (especially a suit) with such stripes

—often used in plural

wore pinstripes to the office

pin-striped

ˈpin-ˌstrīpt 

adjective

or pinstriped

pin-striped pants

Examples of pinstripe in a Sentence

a dark suit with white pinstripes

a man dressed in pinstripes

Recent Examples on the Web

Office workers were planted at the windows of the Woolworth Building and of 250 Broadway, a dark structure that looks like a suit with subtle pinstripes, where several municipal agencies have their offices. —Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 June 2026

Scotland away Scotland is set to make its first trip to the World Cup since 1998 with this ruddy pink-orange pinstripe design. —Ashley Fetters Maloy, Washington Post, 16 June 2026

The top is complete with a pinstripe pattern for fun, preppy flair. —Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 14 June 2026

Fans clad in Chicago’s black pinstripes and Dodger blue alike rose to their feet. —Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1863, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pinstripe

• bagpipe
• blowpipe
• standpipe
• stovepipe
• subtype
• tailpipe
• unripe
• windpipe
• allotype
• antitype
• archetype
• biotype

Kids Definition

pinstripe

noun

pin·​stripe ˈpin-ˌstrīp 

: a very thin stripe on a fabric

also : a suit with such stripes

pin-striped

-ˌstrīpt

adjective