pin down
verb
pinned down; pinning down; pins down
1
: to cause or force (someone) to make a definite statement or decision about something
Reporters tried to pin him down on the specific changes he wants to make to the tax laws.
2
: to find out (something) with certainty
Can you pin down when the change occurred?
I'm trying to pin the source of the problem down.
Examples of pin down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The internet has made culture available to adults that are pinned down by life.
—
Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Oct. 2024
The OpenAI research study made various efforts to try and pin down the potential of gender and race-related biases based on names.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Friendship is a difficult thing to define and pin down.
—Katy Kelleher, TIME, 1 Oct. 2024
Using guns in self-defense is, statistically, rare, although how rare is harder to pin down.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pin down 
Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Oct. 2024
The OpenAI research study made various efforts to try and pin down the potential of gender and race-related biases based on names.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
Friendship is a difficult thing to define and pin down.
—Katy Kelleher, TIME, 1 Oct. 2024
Using guns in self-defense is, statistically, rare, although how rare is harder to pin down.
—Natalie Eilbert, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pin down
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pin down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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