pincushion

American

[pin-koosh-uhn] / ˈpɪnˌkʊʃ ən /

noun

a small cushion into which pins are stuck until needed.

pincushion British

/ ˈpɪnˌkʊʃən /

noun

a small well-padded cushion in which pins are stuck ready for use

"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 pincushion

First recorded in 1625–35; pin + cushion

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.

As if she could hear my thoughts, she scowled as she reemerged, holding a pincushion and some chalk.

From Literature

She replaced her pincushion on a hook on her belt.

From Literature

Each time was like a tiny jab, till Penelope’s heart felt as full of pins as the lumpy red pincushion carried by Madame LePoint, the dressmaker at Ashton Place.

From Literature

Tracy and I came down with the disease even though our upper arms look like pincushions by now.

From Salon

Discovered in 1852, Psyche has the width of Massachusetts, a squashed spherical shape reminiscent of a pincushion, and an orbit between Mars and Jupiter in the main asteroid belt.

From Salon

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