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
Kelly and Tolga Karahan, the owner-operators of the new restaurant, haven’t nailed down a date for the grand opening.
—
Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
Keery has yet to nail down future projects.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
Innings later, Jhoan Duran’s familiar intro played on the stadium scoreboard and the closer trotted in to nail down the save.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Back in the 1970s and '80s, Rocky Horror aficionados had to go to theaters over and over to nail down those details.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 2 Oct. 2025
Keery has yet to nail down future projects.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 2 Oct. 2025
Innings later, Jhoan Duran’s familiar intro played on the stadium scoreboard and the closer trotted in to nail down the save.
—Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 27 Sep. 2025
Back in the 1970s and '80s, Rocky Horror aficionados had to go to theaters over and over to nail down those details.
—Neda Ulaby, NPR, 27 Sep. 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 6 Oct. 2025.
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