pin down

verb

pinned down; pinning down; pins down

transitive verb

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 soundtrack, composed by both Blasphemous composer Sergio de Prado and many of the creators of the original trilogy’s music, also works wonders toward pinning down the old school vibes without explicitly cornering itself as something from the Eighties. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2025

Precise payroll numbers are difficult to pin down, but there are plenty of early-season opportunities for a MAC team to score a Big Ten upset. —Austin Meek, New York Times, 29 July 2025

Unanswered questions remain The police reports do not reveal if authorities were ever able to pin down a motive for the killings. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 24 July 2025

Russia has been using drones to pin down Ukrainian troops. —Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 22 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pin down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown