Meaning & use
pinstriping
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Meanings
noununcountablespecialist
The craft of painting or applying very thin decorative lines, especially along the body of a car, motorbike or boat.
Grammar: Uncountable as a craft: he does pinstriping for a living.
Patterns
- pinstriping on something
He added gold pinstriping along the side of the vintage truck.
The painter's hand-done pinstriping made the bike look one of a kind.
Pinstriping is traditionally done with a long-haired brush.
noununcountable
The thin lines themselves, or a pattern of narrow stripes in fabric.
Grammar: Often modifies a material: black pinstriping on the jacket.
Patterns
- pinstriping on something
The suit had fine white pinstriping on navy wool.
Red pinstriping outlined the hood of the car.
The designer used pinstriping to add detail to the logo.
Common combinations
- hand-painted pinstriping
- The hand-painted pinstriping took a full afternoon.
- custom pinstriping
- He sells custom pinstriping for motorcycles.
- gold pinstriping
- Gold pinstriping highlights the dark paint.
- add pinstriping
- They added pinstriping to the van.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: pinstriping or pinstripe?
pinstriping vs pinstripe
Pinstripe is the single line or fabric pattern; pinstriping is the activity or the lines considered together.
Practice
The classic car had delicate gold ______ painted by hand along its sides.
Choose one answer.
Pinstriping refers to very thin decorative lines. Upholstery is seat covering, plating is metal coating and varnishing is clear finish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pinstriping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.