Meaning & use
quin
Last updated
UK/kwɪn/
US/kwɪn/
Meaning
nouncountableBritishinformal
One of five children born together at the same time to the same mother.
Grammar: Mostly used in the plural: the quins, the famous quins.
Patterns
- one of the quins
The family had a set of quins, and the local paper followed them for years.
One of the quins was always trying to escape from the garden.
The quins celebrated their tenth birthday in the village hall.
Word forms
| plural | quins |
|---|
Common combinations
- the quins
- The quins were born in a hospital in Leeds.
- a set of quins
- A set of quins is very rare.
- raise quins
- Raising quins takes help from the whole family.
- famous quins
- The famous quins appeared in newspapers across the country.
- one of the quins
- One of the quins was shy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- quintuplet
- Quintuplet is the full, standard word, whereas quin is a short British informal form.
- quint
- Quint is the American short form of quintuplet, while quin is the British version.
Word family
- quintuplet noun
- one of five babies born at the same time
- quintet noun
- a group of five musicians or performers
- quintuple adjective
- having five parts or five times as large
Commonly confused: quin or quint?
quin vs quint
Quint is the American short form of quintuplet. Quin is the British one.
Practice
What does the British informal word quins refer to?
Choose one answer.
Quins is a short form of quintuplets, meaning five children born at the same time. A group of five singers would be a quintet.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quin”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.