hairpin

1 of 2

noun

hair·​pin ˈher-ˌpin 

1

: a pin to hold the hair in place

specifically : a long U-shaped pin

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

specifically : a sharp U-shaped turn in a road

hairpin

2 of 2

adjective

: having the shape of a hairpin

a hairpin turn

also : having hairpin turns

a steep hairpin road

Examples of hairpin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Somehow, Stanbury pulled the hairpin on the bomb and was mainly left unscathed. —Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2024

In addition to that, Ramona wore a jeweled headpiece, and Rebel wore a decorative hairpin, both from Pronovias. —Alexandra MacOn, Vogue, 4 Oct. 2024

Adjective

The seven seasons are up and down with some hairpin narrative turns and character deaths being more acceptable or successful than others. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024

Chalk it up to one more bizarre twist in an election season full of hairpin turns. —Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin

-ˌpin

1

: a U-shaped pin to hold the hair in place

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

especially : an extremely sharp turn in a road

hairpin adjective

Medical Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin ˈha(ə)r-ˌpin, ˈhe(ə)r- 

variants also hairpin loop

: a region in single-stranded RNA or DNA that is double-stranded due to pairing between purine and pyrimidine bases in adjacent sequences of the RNA or DNA that are complementary and inverted