PIN (p?n)abbr. personal identification numberpin (p?n)n.1. a. A short, straight, stiff piece of wire with a blunt head and a sharp point, used especially for fastening.b. Something, such as a safety pin, that resembles such a piece of wire in shape or use.c. A whit; a jot: didn’t care a pin about the matter.2. A slender, usually cylindrical piece of wood or metal for holding or fastening parts together, or serving as a support for suspending one thing from another, as:a. A thin rod for securing the ends of fractured bones.b. A peg for fixing the crown to the root of a tooth.c. A cotter pin.d. The part of a key stem entering a lock.e. Music One of the pegs securing the strings and regulating their tension on a stringed instrument.f. Nautical A belaying pin.g. Nautical A thole pin.3. An ornament fastened to clothing by means of a clasp.4. A rolling pin.5. Sports a. One of the wooden clubs at which the ball is aimed in bowling.b. A flagstick.c. See fall.6. pins Informal The legs: is steady on his pins.7. Electronics A lead on a device that plugs into a socket to connect the device to a system.8. Computers a. Any of the pegs on the platen of a printer, which engage holes at the edges of paper.b. Any of the styluses that form a dot matrix on a printer.c. Any of the small metal prongs at the end of a connector that fit into the holes in a port.tr.v. pinned, pin·ning, pins 1. To fasten or secure with or as if with a pin or pins.2. To transfix.3. To place in a position of trusting dependence: He pinned his faith on an absurdity.4. a. To hold fast; immobilize: He was pinned under the wreckage of the truck.b. Sports To win a fall from in wrestling.5. To give (a woman) a fraternity pin in token of attachment.adj. Having a grain suggestive of the heads of pins. Used of leather.Phrasal Verbs: pin down1. To fix or establish clearly: She pinned down the cause of the accident.2. To force (someone) to give firm opinions or precise information: The reporter pinned the governor down on the issue of taxes. pin on To attribute (a crime) to (someone): The murder was pinned on the wrong suspect.[Middle English, from Old English pinn, perhaps from Latin pinna, feather; see pet- in Indo-European roots.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.pin (p?n) n1. a. a short stiff straight piece of wire pointed at one end and either rounded or having a flattened head at the other: used mainly for fastening pieces of cloth, paper, etc, esp temporarilyb. (in combination): pinhole. 2. (Mechanical Engineering) short for cotter pin, hairpin, panel pin, rolling pin, safety pin3. (Jewellery) an ornamental brooch, esp a narrow one4. a badge worn fastened to the clothing by a pin5. something of little or no importance (esp in the phrases not care or give a pin (for))6. (Building) a peg or dowel7. anything resembling a pin in shape, function, etc8. (Bowls & Bowling) (in various bowling games) a usually club-shaped wooden object set up in groups as a target9. (Military) Also called: cotter pin or safety pin a clip on a hand grenade that prevents its detonation until removed or released10. (Nautical Terms) nautical a. See belaying pinb. the axle of a sheavec. the sliding closure for a shackle11. (Music, other) music a metal tuning peg on a piano, the end of which is inserted into a detachable key by means of which it is turned12. (Surgery) surgery a metal rod, esp of stainless steel, for holding together adjacent ends of fractured bones during healing13. (Chess & Draughts) chess a position in which a piece is pinned against a more valuable piece or the king14. (Golf) golf the flagpole marking the hole on a green15. (Mechanical Engineering) a. the cylindrical part of a key that enters a lockb. the cylindrical part of a lock where this part of the key fits16. (Wrestling) wrestling a position in which a person is held tight or immobile, esp with both shoulders touching the ground17. (Building) a dovetail tenon used to make a dovetail joint18. (Units) (in Britain) a miniature beer cask containing 4 gallons19. (Anatomy) (usually plural) informal a leg20. be put to the pin on one’s collar Irish to be forced to make an extreme effortvb (tr) , pins, pinning or pinned21. to attach, hold, or fasten with or as if with a pin or pins22. to transfix with a pin, spear, etc23. (foll by on) informal to place (the blame for something): he pinned the charge on his accomplice. 24. (Chess & Draughts) chess to cause (an enemy piece) to be effectively immobilized by attacking it with a queen, rook, or bishop so that moving it would reveal a check or expose a more valuable piece to capture25. (Building) Also: underpin to support (masonry), as by driving in wedges over a beam[Old English pinn; related to Old High German pfinn, Old Norse pinni nail]PIN (p?n) n acronym for (Banking & Finance) personal identification number: a number used by a holder of a cash card or credit card used in EFTPOSCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014pin (p?n) n., v. pinned, pin?ning. n. 1. a small, slender, often pointed piece of metal, wood, etc., used as a fastener or support. 2. a short, slender piece of wire with a point at one end and a head at the other, for fastening things together. 3. any of various forms of fasteners, badges, or ornaments consisting essentially or partly of a penetrating wire or shaft (often used in combination): a fraternity pin; a tiepin. 4. a. a short metal rod, as a linchpin, driven through holes in adjacent parts, as a hub and an axle, to keep the parts together. b. a short cylindrical rod or tube, as a wrist pin or crankpin, joining two parts so as to permit them to move in one plane relative to each other. 5. the part of a cylindrical key stem entering a lock. 6. clothespin. 7. hairpin. 8. a peg, nail, or stud marking the center of a target. 9. any one of the rounded wooden clubs set up as the target in tenpins, ninepins, duckpins, etc. 10. Golf. the pole, with flag, which identifies a hole; flagstick. 11. Informal. a human leg. 12. peg (def. 4). 13. Wrestling. a fall. 14. Naut. belaying pin. 15. a very small amount; a trifle. 16. a pin-shaped connection, as the terminals on the base of an electron tube or the connections on an integrated circuit. v.t. 17. to fasten or attach with or as with a pin or pins. 18. to hold fast in a spot or position (sometimes fol. by down). 19. to give one’s fraternity pin to (a young woman) as a pledge of one’s attachment. 20. Wrestling. to secure a fall over one’s opponent. 21. pin down, to force (someone) to deal with a situation or to come to a decision. Idioms: pin something on someone, Informal. to ascribe the blame or guilt for something to a person. [before 1100; Middle English pinne, Old English pinn peg; c. Dutch pin, German Pinne, Old Norse pinni; perhaps