Button vs. Pin — What's the Difference?

A feature in graphic or web design for user interaction.

A thin metal spike with a sharp point used to fasten things.

In modern clothing and fashion design, a button is a small fastener, now most commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, or seashell, that joins two pieces of fabric together. In archaeology, a button can be a significant artifact.

A personal identification number used for secure access.

A small disc or knob sewn on to a garment, either to fasten it by being pushed through a slit made for the purpose or for decoration.

A marker or indicator on a map or chart.

A small device on a piece of electrical or electronic equipment which is pressed to operate it.

A peg or cylinder in machinery or construction.

A badge bearing a design or slogan and pinned to clothing.

An icon in digital applications to save or mark items.

Fasten (clothing) with buttons

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.

Stop talking.

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

A generally disk-shaped fastener used to join two parts of a garment by fitting through a buttonhole or loop.

Attach or fasten with a pin or pins

Such an object used for decoration.

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

A push-button switch.

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

The blunt tip of a fencing foil.

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

A fused metal or glass globule.

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

In graphical user interface systems, a well-defined area within the interface that is clicked to select a command.

A whit; a jot

In a hypertext database, an icon that when selected allows a user to view a particular associated object.

A thin rod for securing the ends of fractured bones.

An immature, unexpanded mushroom.

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

The tip of a rattlesnake's rattle.

A cotter pin.

A usually round flat badge that bears a design or printed information and is typically pinned to a garment

The part of a key stem entering a lock.

(Informal) The end of the chin, regarded as the point of impact for a punch.

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

In card games, especially poker, a plastic disk or similar marker placed in front of the person who is designated as dealer for a particular hand. At the start of each hand, the first card is dealt to the left of the button and the dealing of cards continues clockwise around the table.

(Nautical) A belaying pin.

The person who is in possession of this button.

(Nautical) A thole pin.

The position on the gaming table where this button is located.

An ornament fastened to clothing by means of a clasp.

To fasten with buttons

A rolling pin.

To decorate or furnish with buttons.

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

(Informal) To close (the lips or mouth)

A flagstick.

To be or be capable of being fastened with buttons

See fall.

A knob or disc that is passed through a loop or (buttonhole), serving as a fastener.

Pins(Informal) The legs

A mechanical device meant to be pressed with a finger in order to open or close an electric circuit or to activate a mechanism.

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

(graphical user interface) An on-screen control that can be selected as an activator of an attached function.

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

(US) A badge worn on clothes, fixed with a pin through the fabric.

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

(botany) A bud.

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

The head of an unexpanded mushroom.

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

(slang) The clitoris.

To transfix.

(curling) The center (bullseye) of the house.

To place in a position of trusting dependence

(fencing) The soft circular tip at the end of a foil.

To hold fast; immobilize

(poker) A plastic disk used to represent the person in last position in a poker game; also dealer's button.

(Sports) To win a fall from in wrestling.

(poker) The player who is last to act after the flop, turn and river, who possesses the button.

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

(archaic) A person who acts as a decoy.

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

A raised pavement marker to further indicate the presence of a pavement-marking painted stripe.

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.

(aviation) The end of a runway.

A small nail with a head and a sharp point.

A methaqualone tablet (used as a recreational drug).

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

A piece of wood or metal, usually flat and elongated, turning on a nail or screw, to fasten something, such as a door.

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

A globule of metal remaining on an assay cupel or in a crucible, after fusion.

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

A knob; a small ball; a small, roundish mass.

A leg.

A small white blotch on a cat's coat.

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

A unit of length equal to 12 inch.

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

(generally with the) The means for initiating a nuclear strike or similar cataclysmic occurrence.

(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.

(lutherie) In an instrument of the violin family, the near-semicircular shape extending from the top of the back plate of the instrument, meeting the heel of the neck.

(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.

(lutherie) endbutton, part of a violin-family instrument.

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

Synonym of adjuster.

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

The least amount of care or interest; a whit or jot.

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

(television) The punchy or suspenseful line of dialogue that concludes a scene.

(obsolete) A mood, a state of being.

(comedy) The final joke at the end of a comedic act (such as a sketch, set, or scene).

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

(slang) A button man; a professional assassin.

Caligo.

The final segment of a rattlesnake's rattle.

A thing of small value; a trifle.

A clove of garlic.

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

(zoology) Pedicle; the attachment point for antlers in cervids.

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

(transitive) To fasten with a button.

The tenon of a dovetail joint.

(intransitive) To be fastened by a button or buttons.

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

(informal) To stop talking.

(informal) A pinball machine.

A knob; a small ball; a small, roundish mass.

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

A catch, of various forms and materials, used to fasten together the different parts of dress, by being attached to one part, and passing through a slit, called a buttonhole, in the other; - used also for ornament.

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

A bud; a germ of a plant.

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

A piece of wood or metal, usually flat and elongated, turning on a nail or screw, to fasten something, as a door.

(wrestling) To pin down (someone).

A globule of metal remaining on an assay cupel or in a crucible, after fusion.

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

To fasten with a button or buttons; to inclose or make secure with buttons; - often followed by up.

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

To dress or clothe.

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

To be fastened by a button or buttons; as, the coat will not button.

5.0|page=244

A round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes

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

An electrical switch operated by pressing a button;

To peen.

Any of various plant parts that resemble buttons

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

A female sexual organ homologous to the penis

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

Provide with buttons;

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.

Fasten with buttons;

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

A small fastener sewn on clothes to close them.

Hence, a thing of small value; a trifle.

A device that when pressed causes an electronic operation.

That which resembles a pin in its form or use

An icon clicked to start specific software functions.

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

A badge or emblem worn as part of a uniform.

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 holder attached to the gunwale of a boat that holds the oar in place and acts as a fulcrum for rowing

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, buttons can serve decorative purposes, especially on accessories and clothing.

Most pins are metal, but they can also be made of other sturdy materials.

Buttons are commonly made from plastic, metal, or wood.

A needle is a tool for sewing, with an eye for thread, whereas a pin is for fastening materials temporarily.

Some buttons, especially those made of natural materials, are recyclable.

Yes, pins can be decorative and used in brooches and other jewelry forms.

The most common type is the round, flat button used on shirts and jackets.

A pin punctures through materials to hold them together temporarily.

Yes, buttons come in various sizes depending on their intended use.

Ensure the sharp end is covered or clasped to prevent accidents.

Buttons are usually sewn onto clothing with thread through holes or attached via a shank.

Yes, pins often carry symbolic meanings, such as in lapel pins for organizations.

A safety pin is a type of pin that includes a simple spring mechanism and a clasp.

Pins come in various lengths and thicknesses depending on their use.

Yes, buttons made of certain plastics or treated metals can be waterproof.