pin money

noun

1
a
dated : money given by a man to a woman in his family (such as his wife or daughter) for her own use
… when a New York girl wanted some pin money, she telegraphed to her father, and he sent it up in a wagon.Howard Bronson
b
: money set aside for the purchase of incidentals
It will take all my pin money for a month. No more soda water for a while, unless someone treats me.Amy Ellen Blanchard
2
: a trivial amount of money
And Joe said that even if there had been a risk, ten thousand would have been pin money to a man in Bruce's position.Susan Isaacs

Examples of pin money in a Sentence

She had a babysitting job to earn pin money. the summer intern made only pin money but gained valuable work experience
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bonnie and Andrea pocket around $100 a month for spending two hours a week taking surveys, which gives each of them extra pin money. Maria Carter, Woman's Day, 22 May 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1674, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of pin money was in 1674

Dictionary Entries Near pin money

Cite this Entry

“Pin money.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20money. Accessed 14 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

pin money

noun
: money for small expenses
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