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
Eileen is Hathaway perfectly in the pocket with her obsessions as a performer, melding her gifts for the exquisite and the dark while building a character who is never easy to pin down to a simple motive.
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Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
But those archetypes are hard to pin down at first.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
Chonkers has been spotted at the docks early in the morning but is harder to pin down during the rest of the day, Gill said.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
And though pinning down an age can be difficult, Chonkers is believed to be older than 5, due to size, Gill added.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pin down
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Chris Feil, Vulture, 1 May 2026
But those archetypes are hard to pin down at first.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 1 May 2026
Chonkers has been spotted at the docks early in the morning but is harder to pin down during the rest of the day, Gill said.
—ABC News, 30 Apr. 2026
And though pinning down an age can be difficult, Chonkers is believed to be older than 5, due to size, Gill added.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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