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

The Cubs wouldn’t draw closer as Royals relievers Steven Cruz and Nate Pearson combined to nail down the win. — Kansas City Star, 9 Aug. 2026

Researchers haven’t nailed down whether older people are more likely to be malnourished than in the past, but some policy changes may have made doctors more likely to note malnutrition on death certificates. — Meg Wingerter, Denver Post, 9 Aug. 2026

The precise origins of the virus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic have not been definitively nailed down — drawing years of debate among medical experts and intelligence officials. — Joe Walsh, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026

The Roots, a second-division franchise founded in 2018, have been on a similar quest to nail down long-term digs in Oakland. — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 31 July 2026

Rhymes for nail down

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