nail down
phrasal 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
Heavy Sellers Both the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins moved anything that wasn’t nailed down.
—
Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Experts are still working hard to nail down the details, but it’s been difficult to dig into since most research focuses mainly on male athletes.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 31 July 2025
But despite showing the odd flash of inspiration, Paqueta was unable to nail down a starting berth and was sold to Lyon for a loss only one year after his arrival.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 July 2025
As law enforcement officials look to nail down the exact details surrounding the shooting, Brosnan suggests authorities are likely starting their investigation by combing through countless hours of surveillance footage in an attempt to retrace the moments leading up to the bloodshed.
—Julia Bonavita , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Tony Blengino, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Experts are still working hard to nail down the details, but it’s been difficult to dig into since most research focuses mainly on male athletes.
—Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 31 July 2025
But despite showing the odd flash of inspiration, Paqueta was unable to nail down a starting berth and was sold to Lyon for a loss only one year after his arrival.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 31 July 2025
As law enforcement officials look to nail down the exact details surrounding the shooting, Brosnan suggests authorities are likely starting their investigation by combing through countless hours of surveillance footage in an attempt to retrace the moments leading up to the bloodshed.
—Julia Bonavita , Ashley Papa, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
Cite this Entry
“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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