hairpin

American  

[hair-pin] / ˈhɛərˌpɪn /

noun

• hairpins
  plural

1. a slender U -shaped piece of wire, shell, etc., used by women to fasten up the hair or hold a headdress.

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adjective

1. (of a road, curve in a road, etc.) sharply curved back, as in a U shape.

   a hairpin turn.

hairpin British  

/ ˈhɛəˌpɪn /

noun

1. a thin double-pronged pin used by women to fasten the hair

2. (modifier) (esp of a bend in a road) curving very sharply

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hairpins
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hairpin

First recorded in 1770–80; hair + pin

Explanation

A hairpin is a small clip or pin that's used to secure hair in place. A bride's fancy braided hairdo usually requires many hairpins and plenty of hairspray to hold it. A bobby pin is one type of hairpin, a small bent piece of metal that pins strands of hair against the scalp. Most hairpins share this narrow, bent shape, and it's from this sharp angle that the term "hairpin turn" gets its name. A bend in a road that doubles back in a tight curve is a hairpin turn or a hairpin bend. This slang meaning dates from the early 20th century.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hairpin hairpins

The series of switchbacks with hairpin turns offer a satisfying run up to Pine Mountain Summit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

“This isn’t about Huawei overtaking the U.S. on a hairpin turn,” said Qingyuan Lin, a semiconductor analyst at Bernstein.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Steep ascents, hairpin bends and stretches of unpaved road have added to the difficulties facing this tourist town, whose visitors have unsurprisingly stopped visiting while fish sales have stalled.

From Barron's ● Jul. 18, 2026

It is a mountainous road with sharp turns, and an image shared by the emergency services appears to show it crashing near a hairpin bend.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Scientists who had put in their time with Ernest thought nothing of the hairpin turn in the lab’s priorities.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The runway-turned-test track was overhauled in 2011—new layout, fresh asphalt, safety barriers—and now includes two clinically perfect, constant-radius 180-degree turns: the hairpins of destiny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

But when Arabidopsis seedlings sense they're under attack, special enzymes called RNA helicases are produced that unzip the hairpins so the ribosomes can pass through and continue scanning along the mRNA molecule.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2023

The presence of hairpins suggest that the gems’ owners were probably female, Mr. Giecco said.

From New York Times ● May 1, 2023

The climbing is tightly packed, starting with the Montvernier hairpins, then continuing with the crossing of the Telegraphe and Galibier passes.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2022

Her hair is parted down the middle and graying at the temples, braided and wound over her head into a flat hair crown crisscrossed with hairpins.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood