nail

noun

\ ˈnāl

Definition of nail

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a horny sheath protecting the upper end of each finger and toe of humans and most other primates

b : a structure (such as a claw) that terminates a digit and corresponds to a nail

2 : a slender usually pointed and headed fastener designed to be pounded in

nail

verb

nailed; nailing; nails

Definition of nail (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to fasten with or as if with a nail

2 : to fix in steady attention nailed his eye on the crack

3a : catch, trap

b : to expose usually so as to discredit

c : to arrest or punish for an offense

4a : to hit or strike in a forceful manner : whack sense 1a nailed the ball nailed him on the head with a rock

b : to put out (a runner) in baseball

5 : to perform or complete perfectly or impressively nailed a jump shot

6 : to gain or win decisively —often used with down nail down their consent

7 : to settle, establish, or represent clearly and unmistakably —often used with down

8 usually vulgar : to copulate with

Other Words from nail Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about nail

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Examples of nail in a Sentence

Noun

a hammer and some nails I get my nails done at the beauty salon every other week. a pair of nail clippers

Verb

Nail the picture to the wall. All the doors were nailed shut. He got nailed by his parents while trying to sneak out of the house. He got nailed for not paying his taxes. The FBI has nailed the hackers.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Paired with the nail-biting drama of Games 1 and 7, the 2013 Finals is one of our best Finals of the decade. — Michael Shapiro, SI.com, "Ranking the Best NBA Finals of the Past Decade," 16 Sep. 2019 But short nails definitely don't need to be boring. — Neha Prakash, Allure, "Gel Manicures on Short Nails Are the Most Popular Nail Trend for Fall," 16 Sep. 2019 This exhibition explores the less-permanent body art of nail painting. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Fall arts 2019 | Visual art: William-Adolphe Bouguereau, Fabiola Jean-Louis, Luis González Palma and more," 15 Sep. 2019 But opt for the organic extra-virgin kind like this or this or this organic blend of olive, lavender, almond, and grapeseed oils with vitamin E (made specifically for use on the face, hair, and nails) as an actual moisturizer, Gall says. — Nicole Blades, Good Housekeeping, "We Broke Down the Benefits of Using Olive Oil for Skin," 12 Sep. 2019 A dozen or so nails were tapped in a circle around the trunk and connected by cables to the tomograph; a sonic hammer then activated the system to get sound-wave measurements. — Jan Ellen Spiegel, Quartz, "Scientists are finding that forests aren’t as good at fighting climate change as we thought," 12 Sep. 2019 California has at least one million workers who work as contractors and are likely to be affected by the measure, including nail salon workers, janitors and construction workers. — Kate Conger, New York Times, "California’s Contractor Law Stirs Confusion Beyond the Gig Economy," 11 Sep. 2019 Carefully drive nails from the inside of the top pumpkin through the top of the lower pumpkin to secure it. — Woman's Day Staff, Woman's Day, "Urn-est Pumpkins," 9 Sep. 2019 But Williams again finished as the runner-up, despite rallying from 5-1 and match point down in the second set to prompt a nail-biting conclusion. — Ravi Ubha, CNN, "Bianca Andreescu beats Serena Williams to win her first US Open and grand slam title," 7 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But so was the dialogue, and this is where Cerda really nails it. — Nina Metz, chicagotribune.com, "Campy 'Golden Girls' spoof misses the mark," 20 June 2017 Marist coach Colleen Biebel also sent Garofalo, who was nailed at home on a perfect relay throw from Barrington shortstop Julia Kozar. — Tony Baranek, Daily Southtown, "Angela Zedak, Marist look ahead after losing in Class 4A third-place game," 10 June 2017 And making sure Johnson nailed all those backing vocals. — Matt Wake, AL.com, "Aerosmith's secret weapon: Alabama native on tour with rock legends," 9 June 2017 Some houses had bathtubs, mirrors, furniture, crosses nailed to the wall. — Washington Post, "Blighted Baltimore homes are razed, along with some memories," 5 June 2017 By nailing down Chance as the festival’s finale, before even his star-making turn at this year’s Grammy Awards, Sasquatch! grabbed one of this year’s marquee live acts for their youthful audience. — Charles R. Cross, The Seattle Times, "In an area bloated with festivals, Sasquatch! still stands out," 24 May 2017 Why does Apple nail what channel the Cavs game is on but Google does not? — Alexis C. Madrigal, The Atlantic, "20 Questions With Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri," 18 May 2017 Finally, in 2011, Shell and Eni paid the government $1.3 billion, including about $200 million as a signature bonus -- a onetime fee charged by some oil-producing nations -- to nail down the contract once and for all. — Chiara Albanese, Bloomberg.com, "How Shell, Eni Got Enmeshed in $1 Billion Scandal: QuickTake Q&A," 9 May 2017 How could anyone nail both the keys and the rhythms with perfect accuracy? — David Pogue, Scientific American, "Should Artists Reveal How Much They Let Technology Make Creative Choices?," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for nail

nail

noun

English Language Learners Definition of nail

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a long, thin piece of metal that is sharp at one end and flat at the other end and that is used chiefly to attach things to wood

: the hard covering at the end of a finger or toe : a fingernail or toenail

nail

verb

English Language Learners Definition of nail (Entry 2 of 2)

always followed by an adverb, adjective, or preposition : to attach (something) with a nail

: to catch (someone) doing something illegal or wrong

: to arrest or punish (someone) for doing something that is illegal or wrong

See the full definition for nail in the English Language Learners Dictionary

nail

noun

\ ˈnāl

Kids Definition of nail

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a tough covering protecting the upper end of each finger and toe

2 : a slender pointed piece of metal driven into or through something for fastening

nail

verb

nailed; nailing

Kids Definition of nail (Entry 2 of 2)

: to fasten with or as if with a nail

nail

noun

\ ˈnā(ə)l

Medical Definition of nail

1 : a horny sheath of thickened and condensed epithelial stratum lucidum that grows out from a vascular matrix of dermis and protects the upper surface of the end of each finger and toe of humans and most other primates and that is strictly homologous with the hoof or claw of other mammals from which it differs chiefly in shape and size

— called also nail plate

2 : a structure (as a claw) that terminates a digit and corresponds to a nail

3 : a rod (as of metal) used to fix the parts of a broken bone in normal relation a medullary nail