pin
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A thin, sharp piece of metal with a small head, used for fastening things
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pinIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪn
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A small nail with a head and a sharp point.
A small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things
A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.
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 piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.
A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.
verb
Attach or fasten with pins
Pierce with a pin
often followed by a preposition such as "to" or "on"
To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.
transitive
To cause an analog gauge to reach the stop pin at the high end of the range.
To shape metal by striking it, especially with a peen.
To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A small nail with a head and a sharp point.
Used this way, pin is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: attach or fasten with pins
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.