pin

1 of 4

noun

ˈpin 

plural pins

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

pin

2 of 4

verb

pinned; pinning; pins

transitive verb

1

a

: to fasten, join, or secure with a pin

She pinned the corsage to her dress.

… all the big brass is standing at attention and the biggest brass of all is waiting to pin a medal on my chest …

—Ray Russell

b

: to hold fast or immobile

The three men held him pinned against the wall …

—Joseph Conrad

Rescue crews freed the people who were pinned under the wreckage.

(figurative) They were pinned down by enemy fire.

see also pin down

c

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

2

a

: to make (something) contingent or dependent : fasten

—usually used with on

Pinterest is pinning its future on Wall Street, with the digital scrapbooking site … filing for an initial public offering of stock.

—Rebecca Bellan

see also pin one's hopes on

b

: to assign the blame or responsibility for

They tried to pin the robbery on a night watchman

see also pin the blame on

c

: to define or determine clearly or precisely

—usually used with down

it is hard to pin down exactly when things changed

—Katharine Whittemore

d

computers : to fix (something, such as a message, a file, or an icon) in place for convenient viewing or access

This is one of the most useful features of the new Twitter—you can pin a tweet on your profile so that it stays on top …

—Luana Spinetti

"Need to pin a file or a message to the channel so people can access it quickly and easily? No problem!" Slack said in a blog post on the new feature today.

—Jordan Novet

Many companies scrambled to get their heads around how to use their existing technology infrastructure to work remotely. For them, Microsoft Teams was just an icon pinned to their menu bar that lay dormant.

—Property Week

3

a

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

The white queen pins the black bishop.

b

of a wrestler : to secure a fall (see fall entry 2 sense 9c(1)) over (an opponent)

In five years of wrestling at Exeter, I probably pinned no more than a half-dozen opponents. I was almost never pinned—only twice, in fact.

—John Irving

pin

3 of 4

adjective

1

: of or relating to a pin

2

of leather : having a grain suggesting the heads of pins

PIN

4 of 4

abbreviation

ˈpin 

personal identification number

Synonyms

Noun

• leg

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

Note that a small cable connects the two pieces, so don't rip the cover free without disconnecting the pins. —PCMAG, 16 Nov. 2024

Richard Nixon was the first president to consistently wear the flag lapel pin and the trend took off after September 11, 2001. —Richard Kestenbaum, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

Verb

Morgan Stanley pinned Walmart’s strength on its success in attracting higher-income shoppers with its membership program, its online marketplace and its strength in grocery. —Evan Clark, WWD, 20 Nov. 2024

Experts pin our collective fascination on the usual suspects: selfie culture, the persistence of Zoom, and the popularization of procedures aimed at improving the geometry of our jawlines. —Jolene Edgar, Allure, 20 Nov. 2024

Adjective

This includes her soft pink makeup and pin-thin eyebrows at the Billboard Awards in 2004, and curly, honey-brown hair and berry gloss at the SoulTrain Awards in 2007. —Essence Beauty Editors, Essence, 25 Oct. 2023

As a light and fussy sleeper, the enveloping bed, blackout curtains, and pin-drop silence did not go unnoticed. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 2 July 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pin

• bobby pin
• cotter pin
• drawing pin
• firing pin
• gudgeon pin
• pin all one's hopes on
• pin curl
• pin down
• pin money
• pin oak
• pin one's hopes on
• pin-table
• pin the blame on
• piston pin
• rolling pin
• safety pin
• shear pin
• wrist pin
• you could hear a pin drop

Kids Definition

pin

1 of 2 noun

ˈpin 

1

a

: a piece of wood, metal, or plastic used especially for fastening things together or for hanging one thing from another

b

: something that resembles a pin especially in long slender form

a pin that makes an electrical connection

c

: one of the pieces that make up the target in various games (as bowling)

d

: 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

2

a

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

b

: little entry 3 sense 1, trifle

doesn't care a pin what they think

c

: an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin

d

: a device (as a hairpin or safety pin) for fastening

3

: leg entry 1 sense 1

pin

2 of 2 verb

pinned; pinning

1

a

: to fasten, join, or secure with or as if with a pin

b

: to prevent or be prevented from moving

pinned under the wreckage

2

: to assign the blame or responsibility for

Medical Definition

pin

1 of 3 noun

ˈpin 

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

pin

2 of 3 transitive verb

pinned; pinning

: to fasten, join, or secure with a pin

PIN

3 of 3 abbreviation

prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia