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PIN number

PIN number

5 1.8
A secret number that lets you access bank or phone accounts
  • noun
translation icon : número de identificación personal
  • For security reasons, it's important to keep your PIN number confidential.
  • card and PIN number

Examples

  • To access my online banking account, I need to enter my PIN number first.

  • Punch in your PIN number.

    Blog text (34)
  • You put your card in, you put your PIN number in, and you put a request in.

  • So of course some very personal things like your PIN number of your credit card, they understand that is private data.

  • It's time for you to change your PIN number.

  • But what's my PIN number again?

  • The clerk will tell you to go ahead and put your PIN number in.

    Blog text (34)
  • What's the PIN number?

  • You buy insurance, you wear your seatbelt, you don't give out your PIN number, and you don't wave big wads of cash in public.

    Blog text (16)
  • When a patient purchases medical marijuana in a clinic from the MDS, she/he must first swipe her/his card and enter her/his personal PIN number.

    Blog text (15)

Synonyms

PIN
vsPIN number
71 3.2

A secret number you enter to access bank accounts or cards

is the same concept but stated without digit detail
secret code
vsPIN number
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A set of numbers or letters used to unlock an account

is a specific numerical identity code mainly for banking or devices
personal identification number
vsPIN number
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A secret number you use to prove who you are and open accounts

is the shorter, abbreviated form used in everyday speech

Surface Forms

PIN number singular
PIN numbers plural

Morphology

PIN + number

The meaning 'personal identification number' is directly and transparently derivable from 'PIN' (itself denoting a numeric access code) plus 'number'; the phrase is merely redundant (a pleonasm) rather than idiomatic. This compositional structure is straightforward and common in everyday use, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will understand it immediately.

Etymology

PIN number comes from the letters PIN, which stand for 'Personal Identification Number', a short secret code you type to open bank accounts or phones. Saying PIN number repeats the word 'number', but it still means the short secret code used to access secure accounts.