pinup

or pin-up

[ pin-uhp ]

noun

1. a large photograph, as of a sexually attractive person, suitable for pinning on a wall.
2. a person in such a photograph.
3. a device or fixture that is fastened to a wall, as a lamp.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or appearing in a pinup:

   a pinup girl.

2. designed or suitable for hanging or fastening on a wall:

   a pinup lamp.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pinup¹

1670–80 for general senses; 1940–45 as photograph of a pretty woman; noun, adj. use of pin up

Example Sentences

They just see that I don’t drink, don’t smoke and have aged out of being a pinup.

From Los Angeles Times

Her pinup posters rivaled those of Farrah Fawcett, decorating taverns, dorms, locker rooms, the closets of janitors and the garages of boys who started bands and worked on cars.

From Los Angeles Times

She wears mini skirts with girlish ruffles and small kitten heels to begin with, before adopting her distinctive pinup aesthetic as she dives deeper into the music industry and her self-destructive habits.

From New York Times

She wears mini skirts with girlish ruffles and small kitten heels to begin with, before adopting her distinctive pinup aesthetic as she dives deeper into the music industry and her self-destructive habits.

From New York Times

The sides of her long hair are set in two victory rolls like a 1940s pinup model.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• image
• likeness
• photo
• picture
• portrait
• print
• snapshot