nail down

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

Dairy contains whey protein that may benefit glucose regulation, which may partially explain the association, though the research doesn't nail down cause and effect. — Allison Aubrey, NPR, 13 July 2026

Bradley Barcola — France/Paris Saint-Germain (re-entry) Whisper it quietly, but Barcola seems to have nailed down the fourth attacking spot next to France’s big three. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 4 July 2026

There’s no tricky transportation to nail down, no difficult dinner reservations to secure, and far less coordinating and decision-making to argue over. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 3 July 2026

After nailing down a center, Pelinka also needs to really hit on the margins. — Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026

Rhymes for nail down

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