unpin
Americanverb (used with object)
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to remove pins from.
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to unfasten or loosen by or as if by removing a pin; detach.
verb
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to remove a pin or pins from
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to unfasten by removing pins
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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unpinsimple
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unpinssimple
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have unpinnedperfect
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has unpinnedperfect
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am unpinningprogressive
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are unpinningprogressive
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is unpinningprogressive
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have been unpinningperfect progressive
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has been unpinningperfect progressive
Past
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unpinnedsimple
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had unpinnedperfect
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was unpinningprogressive
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were unpinningprogressive
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had been unpinningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of unpin
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Vortices tend to stay pinned in this way, but sometimes they can unpin and migrate away from the object.
From Scientific American ● Jul. 18, 2023
When the pumpkin gets soft, simply unpin the plants, gently pry them from the moss and plant them in a pot with well-draining soil.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2021
You can unpin an edge by removing your stake, but doing so removes all of them, not just the specific stake you might want.
From The Verge ● Feb. 4, 2018
First, when an ice shelf melts or collapses, it can unpin other ice that is sitting on land, which allows it to flow more quickly into the ocean.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 12, 2017
I yank the ornamental combs from the top and unpin the curls.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
He unpins the sheeting from four metal rods, which are splayed against uneven paving stones, and folds it into a suitcase, along with several plastic bags of shoes.
From The New Yorker ● Dec. 31, 2018
He unpins the pictures, lays them upon the heap of books, and returns to her.
From The Faith Healer A Play in Three Acts by Moody, William Vaughn
Basset unpins a package of the currency and throws five twenties to Ricks.
From The Gentle Grafter by Greening, H. C.
At the finish of the fourth a wide old dame in the middle row unpins a cluster of orchids from her belt and aims 'em enthusiastic at the stage.
From Torchy, Private Sec. by Lincoln, F. Foster
Rhoda unpins the napkin from her aunt's breast, and wheels her back from the table.
From The Faith Healer A Play in Three Acts by Moody, William Vaughn
On their first date, he "unpinned my hair and told me I must never put my hair up again. And then he asked me to marry him."
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2025
Insects, however, present a formidable challenge—each one typically needs to be unpinned to digitize the label underneath it.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 2, 2024
On a blistering August afternoon, Yusuke Kawai, 42, unpinned the metal netting and gathered the clams in his hands for inspection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2023
The tweet remained atop McCarthy’s profile even as the balloting for speaker began on Tuesday, but was unpinned after Jake Tapper began mocking it on CNN.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 3, 2023
I unpinned my silver talent pipes from my cloak and slid them across her desk so they lay near Rhetoric and Logic.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
It’s not like unpinning the tweet was going to do much, though, realistically.
From Slate ● Feb. 12, 2024
By paying for Snapchat+ - which costs £3.99 per month in the UK - users gain access to customisation features including pinning and unpinning features, including My AI.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2023
Google Meet’s interface refresh brought an easy shortcut to avoid having to see your own face the entire time, methods for pinning and unpinning content, and a single bar to contain all of Meet’s controls.
From The Verge ● Jul. 22, 2022
Who will make sense of the dissembling new forces unpinning so many of the mores of American life?
From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2018
Mom stops unpinning her name tag from her jacket.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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.
