Definition of PIN

pin

Plural: pins

Noun

  • a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
  • when a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat
  • small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.
  • a number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts
  • informal terms for the leg
  • axis consisting of a short shaft that supports something that turns
  • cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown
  • flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green
  • a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things
  • a holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing
  • a club-shaped wooden object used in bowling; set up in triangular groups of ten as the target
  • A needle without an eye (usually) made of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.
  • A small nail with a head and a sharp point.
  • A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.
  • The victory condition of holding the opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time.
  • A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.
  • A leg.
  • Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector.
  • A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.
  • A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.
  • Either a scenario in which moving a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to being taken instead, or one where moving a piece is impossible as it would place the king in check.
  • The flagstick: the flag-bearing pole which marks the location of a hole
  • The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area)
  • The spot at the exact centre of the target, originally a literal pin that fastened the target in place.
  • A mood, a state of being.
  • One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink.
  • Caligo.
  • A thing of small value; a trifle.
  • A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.
  • A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal.
  • The tenon of a dovetail joint.
  • A size of brewery cask, equal to half a firkin, or eighth of a barrel.
  • A pinball machine.
  • A small cylindrical object which blocks the rotation of a pin-tumbler lock when the incorrect key is inserted.
  • An injection of PEDs.
  • A cataract of the eye.

Verb

Verb Forms: pinned, pinning, pins

  • To fasten or attach with a slender, pointed piece of metal.
  • to hold fast or prevent from moving
    • "The child was pinned under the fallen tree"
  • attach or fasten with pins or as if with pins; .
    • "pin the needle to the shirt"
    • "pin the blame on the innocent man"
  • pierce with a pin
    • "pin down the butterfly"
  • immobilize a piece
  • To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.
  • To cause (a piece) to be in a pin.
  • To pin down (someone).
  • To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.
  • To attach (an icon, application, message etc.) to another item so that it persists.
  • To fix (an array in memory, a security certificate, etc.) so that it cannot be modified.
  • To cause an analog gauge to reach the stop pin at the high end of the range.
  • To inject for performance enhancement.
  • To move a piece onto a blot, preventing the piece from further movement.
  • Alternative form of peen.

Examples

  • He pinned his opponent on the mat.
  • I spent most of my time in the arcade playing pins.
  • I'm not so good on my pins these days.
  • Pull the pin out of the grenade before throwing it at the enemy.
  • She tried to PIN a high-scoring word on a triple letter score, but it was blocked.
  • The shot landed right on the pin.
  • The UK standard connector for domestic mains electricity has three pins.
  • to pin a folder to the taskbar
  • When marshaling data, the interop marshaler can copy or pin the data being marshaled.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English pinne, from Old English pinn (“pin, peg, bolt”), from Proto-Germanic *pinnaz, *pinnō, *pint- (“protruding point, peak, peg, pin, nail”), from Proto-Indo-European *bend- (“protruding object, pointed peg, nail, edge”). Related to pen (“enclosure”).
Cognate with Dutch pin (“peg, pin”), Low German pin, pinne (“pin, point, nail, peg”), German Pinn, Pinne (“pin, tack, peg”), Bavarian Pfonzer, Pfunzer (“sharpened point”), Danish pind (“pin, pointed stick”), Norwegian pinn (“stick”), Swedish pinne (“peg, rod, stick”), Icelandic pinni (“pin”). More at pintle.
No relation to classical Latin pinna (“fin, flipper, wing-like appendage, wing, feather”), which was extended to mean "ridge, peak, point" (compare pinnacle), and often confused with Latin penna (“wing, feather”). More at feather and pen (Etymology 3).

Synonyms

bowling pin, fall, flag, immobilise, immobilize, oarlock, peg, personal identification number, PIN number, pin tumbler, pivot, rowlock, stick, thole, tholepin, trap, badge, brooch, lapel pin, nail, skittle, tack

Antonyms

unpin

Scrabble Score: 5

pin: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
pin: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
pin: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 7

pin: valid Words With Friends Word