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
: 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
Logan Smith, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026 The road’s hairpin turns and gravelly washes mean slow going; the trip from Marfa to Chinati Hot Springs will likely take around two hours. —Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026 Get ready for hairpin turns, switchbacks, and steep climbs; the road starts in the south in Bascov, runs through the Făgăraș Mountains, and ends in the north in Cârțișoara. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hairpin
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The wreckage and cargo of a tractor-trailer litters the hillside above a hairpin curve on the west side of Wolf Creek Pass. —Logan Smith, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026 The road’s hairpin turns and gravelly washes mean slow going; the trip from Marfa to Chinati Hot Springs will likely take around two hours. —Eva Frederick, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
By using 4×3-phase hairpin windings, the new motor can pack more copper into the same space. —Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 12 Apr. 2026 Get ready for hairpin turns, switchbacks, and steep climbs; the road starts in the south in Bascov, runs through the Făgăraș Mountains, and ends in the north in Cârțișoara. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 5 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for hairpin
Cite this Entry
“Hairpin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.grautoblog.com/dictionary/hairpin. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical 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
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