pin
pin — verb
1. to attach one thing to another by pushing a thin pointed piece of metal through
to attach one thing to another by pushing a thin pointed piece of metal through both, so they hold together.
Sarah pinned the photo of her grandmother to the corkboard above her desk.
pin + object + to + place
The tailor pinned the sleeve in place before sewing it onto the jacket.
pin + object + in place
Marcus pinned a small red flower onto his suit jacket before the wedding.
pin + object + onto + clothing
The teacher pinned the children's drawings on the classroom wall.
Lina carefully pinned the pattern to the fabric so it would not slip.
purpose clause showing typical use
- pin a note
- pin a photo
- pin a badge
- pin a flower
- pin in place
Grammar Patterns
pin + object + to/on + place
Usage Note
Almost always followed by a preposition of place (to, on, onto) plus the surface where the object is attached. The object pinned is typically light and flat: paper, cloth, a flower, a badge.
Common Mistakes
2. (of a young man at a US university) to give a girlfriend his fraternity badge as
(of a young man at a US university) to give a girlfriend his fraternity badge as a sign that the two are a serious couple.
By the spring of his junior year, David had pinned Emily and everyone expected an engagement.
pin + female partner; informal American campus tradition
Grandma still remembers the night Grandpa pinned her at a fraternity dance in 1962.
Over Sunday brunch, Rachel told her roommate that Jake had pinned her at the fraternity formal the night before.
Old yearbooks from the 1950s often listed which sorority girls had been pinned that semester.
passive use: be pinned (yearbook context)
- get pinned
- be pinned
- go steady with
broader and more current; not tied to fraternity culture
Grammar Patterns
pin + person
Usage Note
Dated US college slang tied to fraternity culture; rarely heard outside that historical context. Often used in the passive ('she was pinned'). Distinguish from sense 1 (physical fastening) by the human object.
Common Mistakes
3. to mark a digital item — for example a chat message, a file, a social-media post
to mark a digital item — for example a chat message, a file, a social-media post, or a website link — so it stays at the top of a list or sits in a fixed spot on your screen for easy access.
Carlos pinned the team's holiday schedule to the top of the group chat.
pin + object + to + digital location
I pinned my favourite recipe to a board on Pinterest so I could find it later.
pin to a board (Pinterest)
The moderator pinned the rules at the top of the forum so new members would see them.
pin to top
Maya pinned the weather app to her home screen for quick access.
pin app to home screen
Sarah pinned her boss's project email so it stayed at the top of her crowded inbox all week.
pin an email to stay at the top of inbox
- pin to the top
- pin a post
- pin a tab
- pin a message
- pin to home screen
- unpin
removes from the fixed position
Grammar Patterns
pin + object + to + location
Usage Note
Modern computing sense; the object is digital (post, message, app, tab, file). Common targets: 'to the top', 'to your home screen', 'to a board'. Distinguish from sense 1 (physical pin) by context — no real metal involved.
Common Mistakes
4. to press a person or thing against a surface with such force that they cannot mo
to press a person or thing against a surface with such force that they cannot move away.
The fallen tree pinned the cyclist against the muddy ground for over an hour.
pin + object + against + surface
Two officers pinned the suspect to the wall while a third searched his bag.
pin + person + to + wall
A heavy beam pinned Mr Tanaka under the rubble after the earthquake.
pin + person + under + heavy object
Rescuers worked for three hours to free the driver who was pinned behind the steering wheel.
passive: be pinned (accident context)
Marcus pinned his little brother to the sofa and refused to let him up.
playful physical sense
- pin against the wall
- pin to the ground
- pin under debris
- be pinned down
- trap
broader; doesn't always involve direct pressure
- hold down
more general; less forceful connotation
- immobilise
formal; emphasises the inability to move
Grammar Patterns
pin + object + against/to/under + surface
Usage Note
Often used in passive when describing accidents ('she was pinned under the car'). Almost always followed by 'against', 'to', 'under', or 'beneath' plus the surface. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense covers any forced restraint, while sense 5 is a specific wrestling technique.
Common Mistakes
5. in wrestling and similar contact sports, to keep both shoulders of your opponent
in wrestling and similar contact sports, to keep both shoulders of your opponent flat on the mat long enough to win the round.
Diego pinned his rival in the final seconds to take the state wrestling title.
pin + opponent (wrestling)
The young judo champion pinned her opponent for a full ten seconds.
pin + opponent + for + duration
Sofia pinned the Russian wrestler's shoulders to the mat for three full seconds and won the gold medal.
pin + body part + to + mat
Coach Rivera taught the students how to pin a heavier wrestler safely.
- pin one's opponent
- pin to the mat
- pin for the count
- hold down
informal; doesn't necessarily mean a winning move
- escape
the opponent's reverse action
Grammar Patterns
pin + opponent
Usage Note
Restricted to combat sports such as wrestling, judo, and jiu-jitsu. Subject is the winning competitor; object is the opponent. Distinguish from sense 4: this sense is the formal scoring move that ends a match, not just any forced restraint.
Common Mistakes
pin down
phrasal verbto force someone to give a clear answer or commit to a definite plan when they are trying to avoid it.
I tried to pin the contractor down on a finish date, but he kept changing the subject.
The reporter finally pinned the senator down on her vote.
pin something on someone
phrasal verbto make others believe that a particular person did something wrong, especially when they did not.
The real thief tried to pin the robbery on his quiet neighbour.
The investigators couldn't pin the leaked document on anyone in the office.
pin up
phrasal verbto attach a piece of paper or cloth to a wall or board using pins so it can be seen.
Mrs Park pinned up the new class timetable next to the door.
Carlos pinned up a map of Europe above his bed to plan his trip.
pin your hopes on
idiomto depend on a single person or outcome for success, hoping it will solve your problem.
The whole town pinned its hopes on the new factory bringing back jobs.
Sarah pinned her hopes on getting a scholarship to study in Tokyo.
to say that a particular person is responsible for something bad, especially unfairly.
The manager tried to pin the blame on the new intern instead of admitting his own mistake.
Don't pin the blame on Marcus — he wasn't even in the office that day.
pin — noun
1. a short, sharp metal stick with a tiny round head, pushed through cloth to hold
a short, sharp metal stick with a tiny round head, pushed through cloth to hold layers in place while you sew them.
Grandma kept her sewing pins in a small red cushion on the table.
typical container: pin cushion
Lina pricked her finger on a pin while folding the new curtains.
verb collocation: prick on a pin
Marcus held the cloth steady and pushed a pin through both layers.
push a pin through + object
The tailor used three pins to mark where the trousers needed shortening.
Lina heard a pin drop onto the wooden floor and bent down to find it.
- sewing pin
- pin cushion
- stick a pin in
- hear a pin drop
Usage Note
Often imagined as the smallest object that can make a sound, hence the phrase 'you could hear a pin drop' for total silence.
Common Mistakes
2. a thin straight rod of metal that joins or holds two parts together, such as ins
a thin straight rod of metal that joins or holds two parts together, such as inside a machine, a hinge, or a broken bone after surgery.
Surgeons placed a steel pin in Carlos's leg to fix the broken bone.
medical use: place a pin in [body part]
The old door hinge needed a new pin before it would swing properly.
machine part: hinge pin
Carlos noticed a loose pin near the bicycle's pedal and tightened it before his morning ride to school.
The mechanic tapped the pin out of the chain with a small hammer.
- metal pin
- steel pin
- hinge pin
- tap the pin out
Usage Note
Subject is usually a machine, vehicle, or body part. Often modified by the material (steel, metal, iron) or by location (hinge, gear, knee).
Common Mistakes
3. a small, casual decoration — usually mass-produced enamel or metal — with a shor
a small, casual decoration — usually mass-produced enamel or metal — with a short sharp point on the back that pushes through clothing or fabric, worn to show a fan interest, a campaign, a job role, or a souvenir.
Maya wore a tiny enamel pin shaped like a cat on her denim jacket.
wear a pin on + clothing
The volunteers handed out yellow pins to anyone who joined the campaign.
hand out pins for a cause
Mr Tanaka proudly fixed his veteran's pin to the lapel of his suit jacket.
Maya's denim backpack was covered in colourful enamel pins from every concert and bookshop she had visited that summer.
collocation: backpack covered in pins
- enamel pin
- lapel pin
- campaign pin
- wear a pin
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 4 (BROOCH): a pin in this sense is small, flat, often mass-produced, and worn casually; a brooch is larger, often made with stones or fine metalwork, and worn as formal jewellery.
Common Mistakes
4. a brooch — a piece of fine jewellery, usually with stones or detailed metalwork,
a brooch — a piece of fine jewellery, usually with stones or detailed metalwork, fastened to clothing by a hinged clasp at the back.
Aunt Rosa wore her grandmother's silver pin to the wedding ceremony.
heirloom jewellery: wear a pin to + event
The antique shop displayed a pearl pin from the 1920s in the front window.
Sarah fastened a diamond pin to the collar of her black evening dress.
fasten a pin to + clothing detail
Rosa's mother left her a beautiful gold pin shaped like a butterfly.
- diamond pin
- gold pin
- pearl pin
- antique pin
- brooch
the standard British term; in American English the two are interchangeable for fine jewellery
Usage Note
Mainly American English; British speakers use 'brooch' for this kind of jewellery. In American usage, 'pin' covers both the small badge of sense 3 and the formal brooch of this sense, with context deciding which is meant.
Common Mistakes
5. in tenpin bowling, one of ten tall bottle-shaped objects set up at the far end o
in tenpin bowling, one of ten tall bottle-shaped objects set up at the far end of the lane as targets for the heavy ball.
Marcus rolled the ball straight and knocked down all ten pins for a strike.
knock down + pins for a strike
Only two pins were left standing after Lina's first throw.
pins left standing
After each player's turn, the bowling alley's machine swept up the fallen pins and stood the new ten back up.
Carlos cheered when his ball clipped the corner pin and made it fall.
- knock down the pins
- ten pins
- bowling pin
- leave a pin standing
- skittle
British term for the same kind of pin in the older game of skittles
Usage Note
Almost always plural in this sense. Common verbs: knock down, hit, miss, leave standing, reset.
6. in golf, the tall stick topped with a small flag, placed inside each hole to sho
in golf, the tall stick topped with a small flag, placed inside each hole to show distant players exactly where to aim their shot.
From the fairway, Marcus could just see the red pin on the eighteenth hole.
see the pin on + hole number
Maya's caddy pulled the pin out before she lined up her short putt.
pull the pin out before putting
Carlos's ball rolled across the green and tapped the pin before dropping straight into the cup.
collocation: tap the pin
From the tee, Sarah aimed her drive ten yards right of the pin to skirt the deep bunker.
collocation: aim at / right of the pin
- pull the pin
- aim at the pin
- near the pin
- the pin on the green
Usage Note
Also called the 'flagstick' in formal golf vocabulary. Common verbs: pull (out), replace, aim at, hit. The pin marks the hole's position from a distance.
Common Mistakes
7. a picture posted to the website Pinterest, where users keep collections of photo
a picture posted to the website Pinterest, where users keep collections of photos and links so other people can view, save, or share them.
Maya saved a pin of a chocolate cake recipe to her baking board.
collocation: save a pin to [a board]
The wedding planner shared three pins of bouquet ideas with her client.
collocation: share a pin / pins of [topic]
Carlos clicked the pin and was taken to the original blog post.
typical pattern: click a pin
Maya's travel board has over two hundred pins of beaches in Thailand.
- save a pin
- share a pin
- click a pin
- pin board
Usage Note
Always refers to content on the Pinterest platform; do not use for posts on other social media.
8. a leg, used as a casual or playful word — usually said in the plural to talk abo
a leg, used as a casual or playful word — usually said in the plural to talk about both of someone's legs.
Grandpa rubbed his pins after standing all afternoon at the market.
informal register: 'pins' for legs
Lina has lovely long pins, perfect for the dance team.
plural use: 'long pins'
Marcus collapsed onto the pub bench and groaned that his pins were killing him after the coast walk.
informal idiom: pins are killing me
The old boxer is still steady on his pins at seventy-two.
idiomatic: steady on [one's] pins
- long pins
- steady on one's pins
- shaky pins
Usage Note
Almost always plural and informal; sounds odd in formal writing or in the singular.
Common Mistakes
9. in chess, a situation where one of your pieces threatens an enemy piece that is
in chess, a situation where one of your pieces threatens an enemy piece that is stuck in place: if it moved, a more valuable piece directly behind it (often the king or queen) would be captured.
Marcus set up a clever pin against the black knight with his bishop.
collocation: set up a pin
Grandmaster Carlsen used a quiet bishop pin on move twenty to win his opponent's queen and end the game.
typical pattern: use a pin to [win/take]
Sarah stared at the board for two minutes, saw the pin against her rook, and offered her opponent a draw.
see the pin against + piece
Carlos used a knight pin against his opponent's queen to win the championship match.
use a pin to win + piece
- set up a pin
- absolute pin
- relative pin
- break the pin
- fork
different chess tactic — attacking two pieces at once
Usage Note
Specialised chess vocabulary; learners are unlikely to meet this sense outside chess commentary or tutorials.
10. a short personal number — usually four to six digits — that you tap into a phone
a short personal number — usually four to six digits — that you tap into a phone, smart lock, gym locker, hotel safe, or any everyday device to unlock it or prove the device belongs to you.
Maya changed the pin on her phone after her younger brother kept guessing it right.
collocation: pin on a phone
Carlos tapped a six-digit pin into the smart lock on the front door of his apartment.
typical pattern: tap a pin into a smart lock
Aunt Rosa set a four-digit pin on the hotel safe before locking her passport and gold ring inside.
collocation: set a pin on a safe
Lina punched in the pin and the gym locker clicked open straight away.
collocation: punch in the pin
- set a pin
- change your pin
- tap in a pin
- phone pin
- smart-lock pin
- passcode
interchangeable for phones; 'passcode' is the term Apple uses on iPhone
- unlock code
explicit and slightly technical; same idea, less common in speech
Usage Note
Used loosely for any short numeric unlock code outside the banking world. Often written in lower case ('pin') or capitals; pronunciation is the same as the noun 'pin'. Distinguish from abbreviation/1: the abbreviation entry treats PIN as the formal acronym spelt out as 'personal identification number', usually in banking; this noun sense covers everyday device codes where speakers feel 'pin' simply as a word.
Common Mistakes
Feeling very nervous or excited while waiting for something to happen.
Maya was on pins and needles before her job interview.
Are you on pins and needles waiting for the exam results?
for two pins
idiomUsed to say that you would like to do something even though it is not sensible.
For two pins I would quit this boring job right now.
Diego said for two pins he'd sell his car and travel.
It was extremely quiet, with no noise at all.
In the library you could hear a pin drop.
When the teacher entered, you could hear a pin drop.
pin — adjective
1. Used before another noun to describe something that is connected with, made for,
Used before another noun to describe something that is connected with, made for, or designed to work with a pin — for example, a pin tray, pin cushion, or pin hinge.
Grandma kept her sewing needles inside a small pin cushion shaped like a tomato.
attributive: pin + noun (pin cushion)
The teacher stuck the children's drawings onto the pin board behind her desk.
attributive: pin board (very common collocation)
Maya laid her silver brooch on the small pin tray beside the jewellery box every night before bed.
attributive: pin tray
The tailor reached for the pin holder on the table before kneeling down to fit the bride's long dress.
attributive: pin holder
- pin cushion
- pin board
- pin tray
- pin holder
Grammar Patterns
pin + noun
Usage Note
Almost always attributive — placed directly before a noun (pin cushion, pin board, pin tray, pin hinge). Not used after a linking verb such as 'be' in this sense.
Common Mistakes
2. Describing wood, leather, or a similar material whose surface pattern looks like
Describing wood, leather, or a similar material whose surface pattern looks like many tiny pin heads packed close together, giving a finely dotted texture.
Carlos chose a pin oak board for the tabletop because of its tight, dotted grain.
domain: woodworking (pin grain wood)
The leather boots had a soft pin grain that felt smooth under Lina's fingers.
collocation: pin grain (leather)
At the Tokyo auction, Dr. Tanaka leaned in to admire the fine pin grain running across the antique walnut cabinet.
collocation: fine pin grain
The carpenter pointed to the tight pin grain pattern in the oak floorboards and praised its quality.
collocation: tight pin grain pattern
- pin grain leather
- pin oak
- pin grain pattern
- pebble-grained
leather only; describes a similar dotted surface
- smooth-grained
without any visible dotted pattern
Grammar Patterns
pin + noun (material)
Usage Note
Specialist term in woodworking and leatherwork. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes the visual texture of a material, not an object made for pins.
pin — abbreviation
1. the written acronym PIN, formed from the initials of 'Personal Identification Nu
the written acronym PIN, formed from the initials of 'Personal Identification Number' and used by banks, card issuers, and official letters to refer to the secret digits a customer types at an ATM or card reader.
The letter from the bank explained that PIN stands for Personal Identification Number.
spell-out: PIN = Personal Identification Number
Aunt Rosa's new debit card arrived in one envelope and her PIN arrived in a separate sealed letter.
formal context: PIN mailed by a bank
The card reader at the supermarket asked Carlos to enter his four-digit PIN to authorise the grocery payment.
collocation: enter your four-digit PIN on a card reader
Card-fraud notices warn that no honest bank will ever phone customers and ask for their PIN.
official warning: ask for + PIN
The chip-and-PIN system replaced the old signature method across most British shops by 2006.
fixed phrase: chip-and-PIN
- enter your PIN
- four-digit PIN
- chip-and-PIN
- PIN pad
- ask for your PIN
- personal identification number
the full spelt-out form of the acronym; used in legal and banking documents
- card PIN
narrower; specifies the PIN attached to a bank or credit card
Usage Note
Always written in capitals (PIN) when treated as the acronym, but pronounced as the single word 'pin'. Strongly tied to banking and official paperwork — bank letters, card readers, fraud warnings. Distinguish from noun/10: that noun sense covers the everyday device-unlock code on phones, safes, and lockers, where speakers no longer feel 'pin' as an acronym.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- pinpointverbC1
- pinpointadjectiveC1
- pinholenounC1
- pinpricknounC1
- pincushionnounC1
- pinstripenounC1
- pin-upnounC1
- pinheadnounC2
- unpinverbB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five hold one thing to another, but they pick very different jobs. A 'pin' is a thin metal stick with a small head used mainly to hold layers of cloth in place before sewing — temporary, easy to pull out. A 'needle' looks similar but has an eye for thread; a needle does the actual sewing, a pin does not. A 'tack' is a short pin with a wide flat head, pushed into a board or wall to hold paper rather than cloth. A 'staple' is bent metal driven through paper by a stapler, and once in it stays — far more permanent than a pin. A 'clip' grips by spring pressure, leaves no hole, and is the right choice when the surface must not be pierced. So: pin = pierce-and-hold cloth; needle = sew with thread; tack = pierce-and-hold paper on a board; staple = pierce-and-bind permanently; clip = grip without piercing.
Common collocations
Nouns
- safety pin
- bowling pin
- rolling pin
- hairpin
- lapel pin
- drawing pin
- hinge pin
- pin cushion
- pin board
- PIN code
Adverbs
- firmly pin
- carefully pin
- neatly pin
- temporarily pin
Phrases
- you could hear a pin drop
- pins and needles
- neat as a pin
- on pins and needles
- pin one's hopes on
Prepositions
- pin to (a wall, a board, the top)
- pin on (a jacket, a noticeboard)
- pin onto (clothing)
- pin against (a wall, the ground)
- pin under (debris, a beam)
Etymology
The word goes back to Old English 'pinn', meaning a peg, bolt, or pointed piece of wood. That came from Latin 'pinna', which carried the linked ideas of a feather, a wing, and a pointed projection on a wall — anything sharp and sticking out. Over the centuries the meaning narrowed from any pointed peg to the slim metal sewing pin most people picture today. Newer senses extend the same core idea of 'something small that fixes one thing to another': the surgical pin set inside a broken bone, the bowling and golf pins standing upright as targets, and the digital 'pin' that tacks a post to the top of a feed. The banking 'PIN' is unrelated by root — it is an acronym for 'personal identification number' coined in the 1960s, but speakers feel it as the same word because the digits 'fix' your identity to the account.