Synonyms

hairpin

American

[hair-pin] / ˈhɛərˌpɪn /

noun

a slender U -shaped piece of wire, shell, etc., used by women to fasten up the hair or hold a headdress.

adjective

(of a road, curve in a road, etc.) sharply curved back, as in a U shape.

a hairpin turn.

hairpin British

/ ˈhɛəˌpɪn /

noun

a thin double-pronged pin used by women to fasten the hair
(modifier) (esp of a bend in a road) curving very sharply

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hairpin

First recorded in 1770–80; hair + pin

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.

She wears a gold wreath, and has hairpins of both gold and silver.

From The Wall Street Journal

But he learned to master this new machine that could achieve insane speeds and execute hairpin turns while taking crystalline video.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Very funny. I thought I might have lost a hairpin.”

From Literature

Checking up before a tight hairpin—braking late, downshifting with the paddle shifters, turning hard into hairpin corners, the weight of the wheel growing heavy, the little engine piping at full spool.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Besides, there are two of us and one of him, Penelope,” she added, tugging a hairpin from her bun.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023