nail down
phrasal verb
nailed down; nailing down; nails down
1
: to make (something, such as a victory) certain to happen
They need to score another touchdown to nail down the victory.
2
: to find out or identify (something) exactly
Her doctors haven't yet been able to nail down a diagnosis.
They're trying to nail down the cause of our network problems.
3
: to make (something) definite or final
nail down a decision
Examples of nail down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the six-episode limited series, which debuted on Netflix on Feb. 20, the Zero Day Commission struggles to nail down who is to blame.
—
Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025
Olympia’s team struggles to nail down the most damning evidence against Bruno: that his volatile temper led to a public altercation with Tenoch’s soccer coach.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Pay was among the last contract details to be nailed down during the 8-month negotiation.
—Bykatie Langin, science.org, 10 Jan. 2025
Though the performer, being of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, hired a speech coach, an acting coach, and a movement coach, all to nail down the Cuban accent and mannerisms, the thing that served Arjona’s performance most was being around her costars.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 22 Feb. 2025
Olympia’s team struggles to nail down the most damning evidence against Bruno: that his volatile temper led to a public altercation with Tenoch’s soccer coach.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Pay was among the last contract details to be nailed down during the 8-month negotiation.
—Bykatie Langin, science.org, 10 Jan. 2025
Though the performer, being of Puerto Rican and Guatemalan descent, hired a speech coach, an acting coach, and a movement coach, all to nail down the Cuban accent and mannerisms, the thing that served Arjona’s performance most was being around her costars.
—Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for nail down
Cite this Entry
“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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