a small, slender, often pointed piece of wood, metal, etc., used to fasten, support, or attach things.
a short, slender piece of wire with a point at one end and a head at the other, for fastening things together.
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.
a badge having a pointed bar or pin attached, by which it is fastened to the clothing.
a fraternity pin.
Digital Technology. a photo or link that is bookmarked on Pinterest, a website and mobile application.
She added 5 pins to her recipes board.
Machinery.
a short metal rod, as a linchpin, driven through holes in adjacent parts, as a hub and an axle, to keep the parts together.
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.
a short axle, as one on which a pulley rotates in a block.
the part of a cylindrical key stem entering a lock.
a clothespin.
a hairpin.
a peg, nail, or stud marking the center of a target.
Bowling. any one of the rounded wooden clubs set up as the target in tenpins, ninepins, duckpins, etc.
Golf. the flag staff which identifies a hole.
any of the projecting knobs or rails on a pinball machine that serve as targets for the ball.
Informal. a human leg.
Music. peg.
Wrestling. a fall.
Nautical.
an axle for a sheave of a block.
Carpentry. a tenon in a dovetail joint; dovetail.
a very small amount; a trifle.
Such insincere advice isn't worth a pin.
Chess. the immobilization of an enemy piece by attacking with one's queen, rook, or bishop.
Electronics. a pin-shaped connection, as the terminals on the base of an electron tube or the connections on an integrated circuit.
to fasten or attach with or as with a pin or pins.
to pin two pieces of cloth together.
to hold fast in a spot or position (sometimes followed bydown ).
The debris pinned him down.
to transfix or mount with a pin or the like.
to pin a flower as a botanical specimen.
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.
Wrestling. to secure a fall over one's opponent.
Digital Technology.
to bookmark (a photo or link) on Pinterest, a website and mobile application.
He pinned a jacket from Macy's on his fashion board.
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.
pin down
to bind or hold to a course of action, a promise, etc.
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.
pin up to make (a piece of masonry) level or plumb with wedges.
pin in to fill (gaps in a rubble wall, etc.) with spalls.
get pinned,
(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.
(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.
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.
pull the pin, to end a relationship, project, program, or the like, because of lack of continuing interest, success, funds, etc.
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
( in combination )
pinhole
short for cotter pin hairpin panel pin rolling pin safety pin
an ornamental brooch, esp a narrow one
a badge worn fastened to the clothing by a pin
something of little or no importance (esp in the phrases not care or give a pin ( for ))
a peg or dowel
anything resembling a pin in shape, function, etc
(in various bowling games) a usually club-shaped wooden object set up in groups as a target
Also called: cotter pin. safety pin. a clip on a hand grenade that prevents its detonation until removed or released
nautical
See belaying pin
the axle of a sheave
the sliding closure for a shackle
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
surgery a metal rod, esp of stainless steel, for holding together adjacent ends of fractured bones during healing
chess a position in which a piece is pinned against a more valuable piece or the king
golf the flagpole marking the hole on a green
the cylindrical part of a key that enters a lock
the cylindrical part of a lock where this part of the key fits
wrestling a position in which a person is held tight or immobile, esp with both shoulders touching the ground
a dovetail tenon used to make a dovetail joint
(in Britain) a miniature beer cask containing 4 1/ 2 gallons
informal (usually plural) a leg
to be forced to make an extreme effort
to attach, hold, or fasten with or as if with a pin or pins
to transfix with a pin, spear, etc
informal (foll by on) to place (the blame for something)
he pinned the charge on his accomplice
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
Also: underpin. to support (masonry), as by driving in wedges over a beam
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
p(ersonal) i(dentification) n(umber)
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even Witkoff’s friends can’t pin down how the two became so close.
From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026
That conflicting evidence has made its overall effect on cancer difficult to pin down.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Even the U.N.’s assessment of how to deal with the threat of climate change continues to pin hope on capturing tremendous amounts of carbon pollution and burying it in the Earth.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
He’d pin her perfect test up on the wall with all the others.
From "I Survived the Great Molasses Flood, 1919" by Lauren Tarshis
To submit a claim, users must provide an email address or phone number linked to the YouTube TV account and the login ID and PIN from the settlement notice they received.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Voters mailing ballots would be required to write a four-digit number, essentially a PIN, on their ballot envelopes matching the one generated when they registered to vote.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Kent Police advised anyone who suspects a call may be fraudulent that neither banks nor the police would ever ask someone for their PIN, or send a courier to collect money from them.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025
In certain cases where debit cards are rejected, customers may need to select an option at the point of sale to enter their PIN.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
I dial the 800 number, enter my PIN, dial Nia.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
A third person who is not a policeman pins his legs down as emergency workers stand by.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
The spikes, designed to maximise his biomechanics, featured a carbon plate and aggressive rocker for propulsion, and titanium pins to keep the shoe light.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Companies in the U.S. and China have also explored specialized hardware such as smartphones, pins or headsets to anchor these services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
The Iran World Cup team arrived in Tijuana wearing lapel pins on their jackets acknowledging victims of a Feb. 28 missile strike on an elementary school.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2026
They leave with some colorful glass beads, mirrors, bells, needles, pins, several pieces of copper, and three hatchets.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Sports loves scapegoats, but it can’t be pinned on one moment or individual.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
"The person was pinned down but could move their hand. And I got them out alive," said Faramaya, who says he uses "nothing but a pickaxe and a shovel" to pick through the rubble.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Some people have made posters of missing relatives and pinned them up next to the list.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
With the final ball of the first over, Archer pinned New Zealand captain Tom Latham on the shin and barely turned around to appeal.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Despite the blows to her head, Fannie’s straw hat remained pinned to her hair.
From "Fannie Never Flinched" by Mary Cronk Farrell
"Now the plant is resuming operations, specialists and workers are being recruited. We are pinning our hopes on this plant, that people will come and the village will continue to live."
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
A particularly low tide in the Solent meant the sea would reveal a crop on which conservationists are pinning their hopes to rebuild a depleted coastline.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
She pushes buttons because she’s trying to get them to admit something, or she’s pinning the fly to the bulletin board and watching it squirm.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
“The market could be pinning too much hope on the U.S.-China talks yielding some positive results on Iran,” analysts at ING say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
I reached out and pressed a palm against either side of the doorjamb, pinning myself in the entrance to the kitchen.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
