pin

1 of 4

noun

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 themBram Stoker
b
: an ornament or emblem fastened to clothing with a pin
c(1)
(2)
(3)
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 changedKatharine 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

personal identification number

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
Guests either got to wear a diaper with an oversized comical pin, a ruffled baby hat that came with a rattle, or adult-sized footy pajamas accessorized with a teddy bear and a sucker. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 At least there were also those in the audience who wore yellow pins, remembering the remaining hostages, including my assistant camera operator’s 79-year-old father. Richard Trank, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Mar. 2024 Billie Eilish, Ramy Youssef and other stars in attendance at the 2024 Oscars accessorized with a red pin representing Artists4Ceasefire, a collective of more than 400 artists who support a ceasefire in Gaza. Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 There were stars at the awards wearing red pins calling for a ceasefire and director Jonathan Glazer referenced the war in his acceptance speech for Best International Film. Krystie Lee Yandoli, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 Many stars in attendance used their platforms to call for global peace, while others wore red pins to symbolize their support for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. 4. Alexandra Banner, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024 Several stars including Grammy winner Billie Eilish and Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo wore red pins representing Artists4Ceasefire, five months into the Israel-Hamas war. TIME, 11 Mar. 2024 But beyond wearing red pins supporting a cease-fire, those inside the glamorous theaters have rarely addressed the conflict so directly. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2024 Scientists used to tag the beluga whales by shooting pins through their fins. Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024
Verb
Princess Kate's traditional role of handing out shamrock sprigs for the guards to pin on their uniforms will be carried out this year by Lady Ghika, wife of the Regimental Lieutenant Colonel, Major General Sir Christopher Ghika. Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 Spot a political pattern emerging across the globe, pin its fortunes to yours (Clinton’s Third Way neoliberalism, Reagan’s cheerily fierce anti-Communism), and your legacy might reach far beyond Washington, your ideas imprinted in the hearts of billions. Benjamin Wallace-Wells, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 Webster’s music is so distinct that even Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy had a hard time pinning it down. Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 16 Mar. 2024 They were pinned to the lapels of Cillian Murphy, Teo Yoo, Ke Huy Quan, Robert Downey Jr., Tatanka Means, Mark Ruffalo and Jeffrey Wright. Guy Trebay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The video is now pinned to the top of her page, with 2.3 million views and counting, netting $1,100 as of late February. Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024 The Shamrocks Stickers on The Leprechaun's Hat $7.98 Help your kids experience the old-school game, pin the tail on the donkey, except with stickers and leprechauns. Christopher Murray, Fox News, 11 Mar. 2024 By contrast, the woman’s early childhood years are dismal shades of gray — near-poverty, arguments between her parents, exotic locales only pins in maps. Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024 Kenneth Phillips, one of the nation’s most prominent lawyers specializing in dog bite litigation, pinned much of the blame on pit bulls, which have become one of the most popular breeds in America. Kff Health News, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 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 This Best of Beauty-winning pick features one-inch ceramic plates that heat up to an optimum styling temperature of 365 degrees Fahrenheit to create pin-straight strands or soft waves in seconds. Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 27 Mar. 2023 Jenni Kayne The celebrity-favorite fashion designer (Mandy Moore and Minka Kelly are fans) partnered with super-chic homegoods line Parachute to create two timeless items: a cozy alpaca throw and a pin-stripe linen duvet set, available in gray and ivory. Megan Stein, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2023 To really seal the deal, use a flat iron to get that pin-straight finish. Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 9 Mar. 2023 The user can zoom-in and see the individual notes and words with pin-sharp clarity. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2011 To mark the occasion, Florence Pugh walked the red carpet with a new micro fringe, which had a deep side parting, while the rest of her hair was swept into an updo, with the ends fanned out in a pin-straight halo around her head. Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 19 Feb. 2023 First there's a race across a 2 millimeter distance, or the equivalent to the diameter of a pin head. IEEE Spectrum, 15 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near pin

Cite this Entry

“Pin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pin

1 of 2 noun
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

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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on pin

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