Pin vs. Thumbtack — What's the Difference?

A small, slender piece of metal used for fastening or sewing materials together.

A small but essential tool for temporary setups and displays.

A sharp object used in jewelry.

A short pin with a broad, flat head, used especially for attaching notices to a noticeboard.

A term used in sports to refer to a situation where a player is unable to move.

An item used in offices and classrooms for temporary attachment of documents to surfaces.

A device used to hold something in a fixed position.

A tool used in arts and crafts to hold pieces temporarily.

A piece of metal used in mechanical engineering to fasten or align parts.

A commonly used office supply in various colors and designs.

A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together, and can have three sorts of body: a shaft of a rigid inflexible material meant to be inserted in a slot, groove, or hole (as with pivots, hinges, and jigs); a shaft connected to a head and ending in a sharp tip meant to pierce one or more pieces of soft materials like cloth or paper (the straight or push pin); a single strip of a rigid but flexible material (e.g. a wire) whose length has been folded into parallel prongs in such fashion that the middle length of each curves towards the other so that, when anything is inserted between them, they act as a clamp (e.g.

A short flat-headed pin, used for fastening paper to a wall or other surface; a drawing pin.

An identifying number allocated to an individual by a bank or other organization and used for validating electronic transactions.

A tack with a smooth, rounded head that can be pressed into place with the thumb.

Attach or fasten with a pin or pins

To affix with a thumbtack.

Hold (someone) firmly in a specified position so they are unable to move

(North America) A small nail-like tack with a slightly rounded head that can be pressed into place with light pressure from the thumb; used for hanging light articles on a wall or noticeboard.

Hinder or prevent (a piece or pawn) from moving because of the danger to a more valuable piece standing behind it along the line of an attack

(transitive) To fix or attach something with a thumbtack.

A short, straight, stiff piece of wire with a blunt head and a sharp point, used especially for fastening.

A tack for attaching papers to a bulletin board or drawing board

Something, such as a safety pin, that resembles such a piece of wire in shape or use.

Fasten with thumbtacks;

A whit; a jot

A thin rod for securing the ends of fractured bones.

A peg for fixing the crown to the root of a tooth.

A cotter pin.

The part of a key stem entering a lock.

(Music) One of the pegs securing the strings and regulating their tension on a stringed instrument.

(Nautical) A belaying pin.

(Nautical) A thole pin.

An ornament fastened to clothing by means of a clasp.

A rolling pin.

One of the wooden clubs at which the ball is aimed in bowling.

A flagstick.

See fall.

Pins(Informal) The legs

(Electronics) A lead on a device that plugs into a socket to connect the device to a system.

Any of the pegs on the platen of a printer, which engage holes at the edges of paper.

Any of the styluses that form a dot matrix on a printer.

Any of the small metal prongs at the end of a connector that fit into the holes in a port.

To fasten or secure with or as if with a pin or pins.

To transfix.

To place in a position of trusting dependence

To hold fast; immobilize

(Sports) To win a fall from in wrestling.

To give (a woman) a fraternity pin in token of attachment.

Having a grain suggestive of the heads of pins. Used of leather.

A needle without an eye (usually) made of drawn-out steel wire with one end sharpened and the other flattened or rounded into a head, used for fastening.

A small nail with a head and a sharp point.

A cylinder often of wood or metal used to fasten or as a bearing between two parts.

The victory condition of holding the opponent's shoulders on the wrestling mat for a prescribed period of time.

A slender object specially designed for use in a specific game or sport, such as skittles or bowling.

A leg.

(electricity) Any of the individual connecting elements of a multipole electrical connector.

A piece of jewellery that is attached to clothing with a pin.

(US) A simple accessory that can be attached to clothing with a pin or fastener, often round and bearing a design, logo or message, and used for decoration, identification or to show political affiliation, etc.

(chess) Either a scenario in which moving a lesser piece to escape from attack would expose a more valuable piece to being taken instead, or one where moving a piece is impossible as it would place the king in check.

(golf) The flagstick: the flag-bearing pole which marks the location of a hole

(curling) The spot at the exact centre of the house (the target area)

(archery) The spot at the exact centre of the target, originally a literal pin that fastened the target in place.

(obsolete) A mood, a state of being.

One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each person should drink.

Caligo.

A thing of small value; a trifle.

A peg in musical instruments for increasing or relaxing the tension of the strings.

(engineering) A short shaft, sometimes forming a bolt, a part of which serves as a journal.

The tenon of a dovetail joint.

A size of brewery cask, equal to half a firkin, or eighth of a barrel.

(informal) A pinball machine.

(locksmithing) A small cylindrical object which blocks the rotation of a pin-tumbler lock when the incorrect key is inserted.

(often followed by a preposition such as "to" or "on") To fasten or attach (something) with a pin.

To cause (a piece) to be in a pin.

(wrestling) To pin down (someone).

To enclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

To attach (an icon, application, message etc.) to another item so that it persists.

To fix (an array in memory, a security certificate, etc.) so that it cannot be modified.

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(transitive) To cause an analog gauge to reach the stop pin at the high end of the range.

To peen.

To inclose; to confine; to pen; to pound.

To fasten with, or as with, a pin; to join; as, to pin a garment; to pin boards together.

A piece of wood, metal, etc., generally cylindrical, used for fastening separate articles together, or as a support by which one article may be suspended from another; a peg; a bolt.

Especially, a small, pointed and headed piece of brass or other wire (commonly tinned), largely used for fastening clothes, attaching papers, etc.

Hence, a thing of small value; a trifle.

That which resembles a pin in its form or use

One of a row of pegs in the side of an ancient drinking cup to mark how much each man should drink.

The bull's eye, or center, of a target; hence, the center.

Mood; humor.

Caligo. See Caligo.

An ornament, as a brooch or badge, fastened to the clothing by a pin; as, a Masonic pin.

The leg; as, to knock one off his pins.

A piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment

When a wrestler's shoulders are forced to the mat

Small markers inserted into a surface to mark scores or define locations etc.

A number you choose and use to gain access to various accounts

Informal terms of the leg;

Axis consisting of a short shaft that supports something that turns

Cylindrical tumblers consisting of two parts that are held in place by springs; when they are aligned with a key the bolt can be thrown

Flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green

A small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things

A club-shaped wooden object used in bowling; set up in groups as a target

To hold fast or prevent from moving;

Attach or fasten with pins

Pierce with a pin;

Immobilize a piece

Yes, many pins have a cover or clasp to prevent accidents.

No, thumbtacks should be handled carefully as the exposed pin can be a safety hazard.

Yes, they vary in color and head design for aesthetic purposes.

Steel or brass.

In sewing, tailoring, and crafts.

In offices, classrooms, and bulletin boards.

Yes, they are often used to fasten pieces like brooches.

Keep in a secure box to avoid accidents.

Pins vary in length and thickness to suit different materials.

Thumbtacks are used for attaching papers to surfaces, unlike pins which are used for sewing.

Store in a closed container or use a pincushion.

It's possible, but thumbtacks are generally more suitable.

Not typically, as they are too blunt and wide for fabric.

A sharp point to penetrate materials.

Wrestling and other combat sports.