Jump To:

• pin
  pin

  noun

  a small, slender, often pointed piece of wood, metal, etc., used to fasten, support, or attach things.
• PIN
  PIN

  noun

  a number assigned to an individual, used to establish identity in order to gain access to a computer system via an automatic teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, or other device.

pin

¹ American  

[pin] / pɪn /

noun

• pins
  plural

1. a small, slender, often pointed piece of wood, metal, etc., used to fasten, support, or attach things.

   Synonyms:

   peg, bolt

2. a short, slender piece of wire with a point at one end and a head at the other, for fastening things together.

3. any of various forms of fasteners or ornaments consisting essentially or partly of a pointed or penetrating wire or shaft (often used in combination).

   a jeweled pin.

   Synonyms:

   brooch

4. a badge having a pointed bar or pin attached, by which it is fastened to the clothing.

   a fraternity pin.

5. Digital Technology. a photo or link that is bookmarked on Pinterest, a website and mobile application.

   She added 5 pins to her recipes board.

6. Machinery.

   1. a short metal rod, as a linchpin, driven through holes in adjacent parts, as a hub and an axle, to keep the parts together.

   2. a short cylindrical rod or tube, as a wrist pin or crankpin, joining two parts so as to permit them to move in one plane relative to each other.

   3. a short axle, as one on which a pulley rotates in a block.

7. the part of a cylindrical key stem entering a lock.

8. a clothespin.

9. a hairpin.

10. rolling pin.

11. a peg, nail, or stud marking the center of a target.

12. Bowling. any one of the rounded wooden clubs set up as the target in tenpins, ninepins, duckpins, etc.

13. Golf. the flag staff which identifies a hole.

14. any of the projecting knobs or rails on a pinball machine that serve as targets for the ball.

15. Informal. a human leg.

16. Music. peg.

17. Wrestling. a fall.

18. Nautical.

    1. an axle for a sheave of a block.

    2. belaying pin.

19. Carpentry. a tenon in a dovetail joint; dovetail.

20. a very small amount; a trifle.

    Such insincere advice isn't worth a pin.

21. Chess. the immobilization of an enemy piece by attacking with one's queen, rook, or bishop.

22. Electronics. a pin-shaped connection, as the terminals on the base of an electron tube or the connections on an integrated circuit.

---

verb (used with object)

• pins,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pinned,
  past participle,  past
• pinning
  present participle

1. to fasten or attach with or as with a pin or pins.

   to pin two pieces of cloth together.

2. to hold fast in a spot or position (sometimes followed bydown ).

   The debris pinned him down.

3. to transfix or mount with a pin or the like.

   to pin a flower as a botanical specimen.

4. Chess. to immobilize (an enemy piece) by placing one's queen, rook, or bishop in a position to check the exposed king or capture a valuable piece if the pinned piece were moved.

5. Wrestling. to secure a fall over one's opponent.

6. Digital Technology.

   1. to bookmark (a photo or link) on Pinterest, a website and mobile application.

      He pinned a jacket from Macy's on his fashion board.

   2. to fix (a social media post) to the top of a feed.

      She pinned a tweet about her forthcoming book to the top of her Twitter feed.

verb (used without object)

• pins,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pinned,
  past participle,  past
• pinning
  present participle

1. Digital Technology. to bookmark a photo or link on Pinterest.

   I've been pinning a lot lately.

verb phrase

1. pin down

   1. to bind or hold to a course of action, a promise, etc.

   2. to force (someone) to deal with a situation or to come to a decision.

      We tried to pin him down for a definite answer, but he was too evasive for us.

2. pin up to make (a piece of masonry) level or plumb with wedges.

3. pin in to fill (gaps in a rubble wall, etc.) with spalls.

idioms

1. get pinned,

   1. (of a young woman) to receive a male student's fraternity pin as a symbol of his affection and fidelity, usually symbolizing that the couple is going steady or plans to become engaged.

   2. (of a young couple) to become formally pledged to one another, though not yet engaged, by the bestowing of such a pin or the exchange of pins.

2. pin something on someone, to ascribe the blame or guilt for something to a person; show someone to be culpable.

   They pinned the crime on him.

3. pull the pin, to end a relationship, project, program, or the like, because of lack of continuing interest, success, funds, etc.

PIN ² American  

[pin] / pɪn /

noun

Computers.

1. a number assigned to an individual, used to establish identity in order to gain access to a computer system via an automatic teller machine, a point-of-sale terminal, or other device.

---

pin ¹ British  

/ pɪn /

noun

1. 1. a short stiff straight piece of wire pointed at one end and either rounded or having a flattened head at the other: used mainly for fastening pieces of cloth, paper, etc, esp temporarily

   2. ( in combination )

      pinhole

2. short for cotter pin hairpin panel pin rolling pin safety pin

3. an ornamental brooch, esp a narrow one

4. a badge worn fastened to the clothing by a pin

5. something of little or no importance (esp in the phrases not care or give a pin ( for ))

6. a peg or dowel

7. anything resembling a pin in shape, function, etc

8. (in various bowling games) a usually club-shaped wooden object set up in groups as a target

9. Also called: cotter pin.   safety pin.  a clip on a hand grenade that prevents its detonation until removed or released

10. nautical

    1. See belaying pin

    2. the axle of a sheave

    3. the sliding closure for a shackle

11. music a metal tuning peg on a piano, the end of which is inserted into a detachable key by means of which it is turned

12. surgery a metal rod, esp of stainless steel, for holding together adjacent ends of fractured bones during healing

13. chess a position in which a piece is pinned against a more valuable piece or the king

14. golf the flagpole marking the hole on a green

15. 1. the cylindrical part of a key that enters a lock

    2. the cylindrical part of a lock where this part of the key fits

16. wrestling a position in which a person is held tight or immobile, esp with both shoulders touching the ground

17. a dovetail tenon used to make a dovetail joint

18. (in Britain) a miniature beer cask containing 4 1/ 2 gallons

19. informal (usually plural) a leg

20. to be forced to make an extreme effort

---

verb

1. to attach, hold, or fasten with or as if with a pin or pins

2. to transfix with a pin, spear, etc

3. informal (foll by on) to place (the blame for something)

   he pinned the charge on his accomplice

4. chess to cause (an enemy piece) to be effectively immobilized by attacking it with a queen, rook, or bishop so that moving it would reveal a check or expose a more valuable piece to capture

5. Also: underpin.  to support (masonry), as by driving in wedges over a beam

PIN ² British  

/ pɪn /

acronym

1. personal identification number: a number used by a holder of a cash card or credit card used in EFTPOS

---

pin More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing pin

• hear a pin drop
• on pins and needles

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• repin
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pins
  plural

Participles

• pinning
  present
• pinned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pin
  simple
• pins
  simple
• have pinned
  perfect
• has pinned
  perfect
• am pinning
  progressive
• are pinning
  progressive
• is pinning
  progressive
• have been pinning
  perfect progressive
• has been pinning
  perfect progressive

Past

• pinned
  simple
• had pinned
  perfect
• was pinning
  progressive
• were pinning
  progressive
• had been pinning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pin
  simple
• will have pinned
  perfect
• will be pinning
  progressive
• will have been pinning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pin¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English noun pinne, Old English pinn “peg”; cognate with Dutch pin, German Pinne, Old Norse pinni; perhaps frrom Latin pinna “feather, quill” ( see pinna); verb from the noun

Origin of PIN²

p(ersonal) i(dentification) n(umber)

Explanation

A pin is a small, sharp device that's made for attaching and holding things together. When you sew a shirt, you first have to pin the paper pattern to the fabric with pins. Pins used for tacking paper to a bulletin board are made of sharp metal. A piece of jewelry that fastens to your shirt is also a pin. There are numerous other pins, from the pegs a guitar's strings are attached to; to the wooden pins you try to knock down when you're bowling; to the pins that hold your hairdo in place. And when you pin, you secure with a pin, or you hold someone down while wrestling.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pin PIN pins pinned pinning

The organization of a modern pin factory provides the memorable illustration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

It is similar to squeezing a miles-long instruction manual into the head of a pin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

These included missing safety shutters - which protect people from coming into contact with a plug's live internal parts - missing fuses and oversized pin holes.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

It is also why, as a filmmaker, he has often been hard to pin down.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Held captive by his wife’s temper like an insect stuck on a pin, the baron squirmed and blushed until he finally turned to Edward Ashton.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

The PIN would come from ID such as a driver’s license or could be generated from the county.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Voters who use mail-in ballots — by far the most popular method of voting in California — would be required to write a four-digit number, essentially a PIN, on their ballot envelopes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Crosswell said, “Based on everything we know, if PIN was still there, we’d say no.”

From Salon ● Apr. 14, 2026

But retailers could import high-powered bikes and give buyers a PIN to "unlock" them, allowing it to reach higher speeds supposedly only on private property – a crucial loophole.

From BBC ● Mar. 6, 2026

I start dialing, enter my PIN, enter my own number.

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

There was a skid, followed by the unmistakable sound of dog meeting trash cans: bowling ball, pins.

From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026

Capanna said a universal travel adaptor that lets multiple pins extend at once is "the most immediate sign it is dangerous", posing real risks of electric shock or electrocution.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

So, go ahead, keep NBA schedule-makers on pins and needles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

The “Icarus” work, where he was still experimenting with the new medium, has its components kept in place with pins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026

I asked, putting away the pins and hoping I’d be included.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan

The captain had lots of bright moments as the Gunners pinned Coventry back.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

He pinned that on higher depreciation and the cost of setting up Meta Superintelligence Labs, which was introduced last year.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

Thatcher, his latest anointed icon, fares no better than a butterfly pinned to his mood board.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

The Balkan nation has even pinned part of its bid to join the European Union on reviving the site -- with environmental benchmarks required for membership closely tied to the salina's health.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

An older Black woman, somewhere between typical auntie and typical grandma age—hair braided along the edges of her face and pinned into a low bun—greeted them, smiling broadly.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Scott played that way against the 49ers, pinning them deep in their territory more than once.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Chinese people have long harbored a particular affection for their premiers, a habit of pinning hopes on the country’s No. 2 official even as the true seat of power lies elsewhere.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

He said the emphasis should not be on pinning blame on individuals but finding the cause: "We need to know what is killing our elephants."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

While pinning down the exact reason why these states buck the trend is difficult, Hoell hypothesized the region’s unique summer monsoon rains could alleviate the risk.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026

“Remember,” whispered Habib, pinning an especially stern gaze on Mariam, “under no circumstance are you to tell anyone your real name. If anyone asks, tell them we are farmers escaping the fighting in our village.”

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Related Words

• affix
• bind
• clasp
• fasten
• fix