How to Use pinup in a Sentence

pinup

1 of 2 noun
  • That seemed to be a fashion, lately, a kind of pinup, vintage thing.
    — Emma Cline, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2021
  • To add size to your bustline without pinup cleavage, look for tops that have something extra going on.
    — Glamour, 11 Apr. 2019
  • That famous Farrah Fawcett pinup look with the giant hair and the red swimsuit?
    — Jenny Singer, Glamour, 2 July 2021
  • Bhaskaran poses in a white corset and skirt set, and Dalton looks like a glamorous pinup in a bubblegum pink dress cinched with chains.
    — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2020
  • The galaxy has more to do with endlessness, instead of the narrowness that a pinup suggests.
    — New York Times, 30 Sep. 2021
  • With her pinup look, and now-trademark red lipstick, Aguilera wanted to be modern and eternal.
    — Richard S. He, Billboard, 4 May 2018
  • Playful with a pinup vibe and dreamy colors, the shoot aligns perfectly with Cyrus’s personal look.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2018
  • The team also wanted to avoid a caricature of Anderson, a pinup come to life.
    — Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 2 Feb. 2022
  • The Young Pope, after all, did not merely bait meme-makers by imagining a pope who was also a pinup.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 8 Jan. 2020
  • For the campaign, Chachki embodied the pinup icon, who has served as one of her biggest inspirations as a drag queen.
    — Tatiana Tenreyro, Billboard, 16 Nov. 2017
  • With a pinup hairdo and some shimmering purple makeup, the star was practically runway-ready.
    — Stephen Daw, Billboard, 11 Sep. 2019
  • For a work in this show, for instance, that included an image from a 1970s Jet pinup calendar.
    — New York Times, 30 Sep. 2021
  • And as Playboy ends its print publication, one former pinup is feeling oddly nostalgic.
    — Jonathan Wolfe, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2020
  • Her voice also has an almost George Michael character to it, moving from pinup poutiness to childlike abandon.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2022
  • Vivienne Westwood was a shift away from the actress’ usual fare, one that made for a vampy social media photoshoot worthy of a 40s pinup.
    — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, 26 Apr. 2021
  • Everything from Upton's lace dress and cathedral veil to the venue's old bricks fit the vintage, romantic (with a touch of pinup) style of the 25-year-old model.
    — Daniela Sternitzky-Di Napoli, Houston Chronicle, 20 Mar. 2018
  • But the structured body-con silhouette hugged Larson’s physique like the pinup-style dresses favored by Hayworth and Monroe.
    — Edward Barsamian, Vogue, 9 Aug. 2017
  • Pryor said recycles about 40 million disposable nappies a year and has used the fibrous pellets to make construction panels, pinup boards and coasters.
    — Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2022
  • In today’s fashion ecosystem, an amputee pinup pouts from the pages of a swimsuit calendar and a young woman with Down syndrome stars in a Gucci beauty campaign.
    — Washington Post, 12 May 2021
  • Jianqing meets a fellow with a lot of pinups in his room, and the two enthusiastically trade the names of their favorite Japanese pornography actresses.
    — Glenn Kenny, New York Times, 29 June 2018
  • Then, of course, there are Gomez’s looks, for which the singer and her stylist Kate Young chose to pay homage to ’40s pinup girls with a series of looks that featured stripes and polka dots galore.
    — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2020
  • Hollywood icons and pinup models had long worn two-piece suits, as was evident under the lids of thousands of GI footlockers still being shipped home from Europe.
    — Steve Hendrix, Washington Post, 6 July 2018
  • The movie skips ahead to Norma Jeane’s early modeling days (enter De Armas in a breezy pinup montage), which in turn open the door to an acting career.
    — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2022
  • While former Playmate Kendra Wilkinson certainly knows how to heat things up with her fiery mane, there's no denying the pinup made her mark in Playboy with her blonde tresses.
    — Fox News, 22 Sep. 2018
  • The rest of her autobiography traces Harry’s ascent from punk scenester to Blondie’s crossover-pop success, largely thanks to Harry, who embraced her role as a new wave pinup.
    — Phillip Valys, sun-sentinel.com, 11 Nov. 2019
  • Instead of the usual Gothic script and pinup-girl tropes, Welcome Home’s artists draw illustrative line tattoos of outstretched palms, fairy-tale-esque bunnies, or pears growing on a branch.
    — John Januzzi, The Cut, 6 Mar. 2018
  • The packaging features a caricature of Jenner in a 1940s pinup-style sailor's outfit, surrounded by stripes, anchors, and life preservers.
    — Angela Trakoshis, Allure, 21 Aug. 2020
  • In 2018, a year after Wonder Woman redefined the modern action heroine, Croft is more Olympic athlete than pinup.
    — Steven Klein, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2018
  • The intimacy and vividness of her work, the delicate, fine brushstrokes, recall Delacroix, but the cheeky, unapologetic, and at times challenging attitude of her heroines evokes a model in a pinup magazine.
    — Thomas Gebremedhin, WSJ, 6 Nov. 2018
  • Many of the original cast and crew members are no longer alive and are featured only in archival interviews, although seeing Marli Renfro, the pinup model who served as Janet Leigh’s body double, is a special treat.
    — Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2017

pinup

2 of 2 adjective
  • Her pinup-style content is old-school, too.
    — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026
  • This two-piece set brings back the classic pinup style in a modern way with its high-leg cut.
    — Raena Loper, Good Housekeeping, 10 Feb. 2023
  • Vintage pinup style can be yours in any size with this affordable suit.
    — Maya Polton Updated, Parents, 10 Aug. 2023
  • But to her, being a pinup was just another role to play.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026
  • Pair this pretty suit with a red lip for the total 1950s pinup look.
    — Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar, Glamour, 28 Feb. 2025
  • The sides of her long hair are set in two victory rolls like a 1940s pinup model.
    — Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
  • And the magic elixir is able to turn garbage into Jan Ravnik, Swift's pinup backup dancer.
    — Bryan West, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Now, the 16-time Grammy winner is adding a doe-eyed cartoon pinup to his inimitable list of divas.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Still, the baseball slugger and pinup bombshell always remained in each other’s corners.
    — Mark Gray, PEOPLE, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Nylon hair scarves, specifically, are essential for a pinup wardrobe.
    — Miriam Rodriguez, refinery29.com, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Two of the most famous pinup girls were Betty Grable and Rita Hayworth.
    — Miriam Rodriguez, refinery29.com, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Earlier this month, the pinup model called out questionable statements about her husband's changing physical shape.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
  • More importantly, the movie is an age-old opportunity for someone who’s been a pinup, and occasionally a punch line, to be seen in a whole new light.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Most of the restaurant's decor is bright Coca Cola red, from stained glass lamps to old-school pinup posters, all with the Coca Cola logo.
    — Endia Fontanez, AZCentral.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Had she been born a few generations later, a performer like Mansfield may have had an easier time revising her reputation as a pinup.
    — Mayukh Sen, The Atlantic, 9 July 2025
  • Practicing his mandatory poses in the mirror, the chest bulging and the arms curled, the focal point is always his face, which mangles every expression, which cannot produce the pinup smile.
    — Doreen St. Félix, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2025
  • In their heyday, Jake was the pinup, ready to play the part in which the music industry cast him, while drummer Vince was the artist—and the drug-abusing liability.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 7 Sep. 2025
  • 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.
    — Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2024
  • David Nestler started as a pinup artist before switching to entertainment, working for George Lucas and now Disney.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 5 Mar. 2023
  • The character grew so popular in Germany that Lilli developed into a sort of three-dimensional pinup.
    — Maham Javaid, Washington Post, 25 May 2023
  • The book, which has no pictures save for a pinup poster of Anderson on the flip-side of the book jacket, offers more detailed accounts of many of the events, with her feelings often expressed in original poetry.
    — Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Cassie Harris is a badass photog, making a name for herself with her company Buxom Boudoir, which offers clients a modern twist on classic pinup photography.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 30 Aug. 2022
  • Images of these men on horseback or in classical profile began appearing on posters and handkerchiefs and even crockery, the pinup boys of the revolutionary age–virile and virtuous and handsome.
    — Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 5 Aug. 2021
  • Carpenter is plainly a student of Parton’s, evoking her pinup styling (voluminous hair, big red lips), her persona (sharp with a knowing wink), and her voice, which is rich and husky and accompanied by a country lilt.
    — Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Mariska Hargitay embarks on a family journey to honor her mother, the 1950s movie star and pinup model Jayne Mansfield.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 27 June 2025
  • Sabrina Carpenter, for example, draws upon a classic '60s pinup glam and soaks her tracks in infectious sensuality.
    — Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY, 4 Dec. 2024
  • That alone may not be a problem, but Frankenstein also can’t bear to give its version of the Creature any flaws, either physically or morally, turning him instead into just another misunderstood pinup.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 14 Nov. 2025
  • Sabrina Carpenter, in particular, has been spearheading ’50s retro pinup references.
    — Elle Turner, Glamour, 12 Mar. 2025
  • This is a Murdoch of more mercurial motivation, desperate to win but squeamish about some of Lamb’s innovations, particularly the Page 3 pinup display.
    — Peter Marks, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2023
  • Augmenting the Games themselves there was a best mullet contest, a Florida Ma’am pinup contest, an opportunity to take selfie photos with an alligator, and a bingo game decided by two chickens.
    — Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pinup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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