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

Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto are vying for the job on the right, and Jorrel Hato has not yet nailed down his place on the opposite flank following the summer sale of Marc Cucurella. — James McNicholas, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026

Our study takes only a tiny step – but still a step – in that direction, helping to nail down the mechanism of exotic superconductivity in graphene. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026

Kym Whitley plays Kim, Varnell’s right hand, who keeps his business, and the show’s (and the series itself), nailed down. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

After selecting the top half of your outfit, however, nailing down the perfect shoe-to-jeans ratio can pose a challenge amid a change in weather. — India Roby, Glamour, 31 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for nail down

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