bobby pin

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ˈbob•by ˌpin, n. [countable]

1. Clothing a flat metal pin used for holding hair tightly in place.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

bob′by pin′, 

1. a flat, springlike metal hairpin having the prongs held close together by tension.

• perh. Bobby (proper name), by association with bobbed hair (see bob²), in which such pins are used 1935–40, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bobby pin noun

1. a metal hairpin bent in order to hold the hair in place