hairpin

American  

[hair-pin] / ˈhɛərˌpɪn /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of hairpin

First recorded in 1770–80; hair + pin

Example Sentences

He was on course to improve on his final run but locked up into the hairpin and lost time.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

Russell easily passed him back down the straight to the hairpin of Turn 14 before Hamilton attacked and passed him around the outside of Turn One at the start of the second lap.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

Checking up before a tight hairpin—braking late, downshifting with the paddle shifters, turning hard into hairpin corners, the weight of the wheel growing heavy, the little engine piping at full spool.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

To reach Ghorjomi mosque, one of the biggest, we drove up hairpin mountain lanes, edged with blue hydrangeas, until we spotted the minaret.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

The road to Jalalabad is a two- hour trek through mountain roads winding along a steep drop, and my stomach lurched with each hairpin turn.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini