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
The Kremlin’s rejection of a cease-fire would help Western governments maintain and tighten sanctions against Russia and help Ukraine nail down long-term military and economic support.
—
Richard Haass and Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2023
Maine only recently nailed down a system to handle the law’s mental health requirement by signing a contract with a company that can conduct assessments remotely, Keim said.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
Avocado League Preview: Carlsbad is the league champion, but Torrey Pines can finish second and nail down the No. 1 seed in Division 1 with a win.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2023
Season 24 of The Voice is heating up, as the hopefuls look to nail down their places in the competition during the battle rounds.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2023
Cowboys stars nailed down the 20-17 victory in the Kroenke Dome in front of a mostly pro-Dallas crowd.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2023
Much of that time was spent nailing down the character of Keith Gill, the Redditor who kicked off the stock rally, who would be played by Paul Dano.
—Vulture, 10 Sep. 2023
The actual partisan impacts are harder to nail down.
—Dante Chinni, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2023
Instead of India, the two leaders may meet around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference in San Francisco in November, though no official sit-down has been nailed down yet, two administration officials told NBC News last week.
—Reuters, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2023
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Richard Haass and Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 17 Nov. 2023
Maine only recently nailed down a system to handle the law’s mental health requirement by signing a contract with a company that can conduct assessments remotely, Keim said.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
Avocado League Preview: Carlsbad is the league champion, but Torrey Pines can finish second and nail down the No. 1 seed in Division 1 with a win.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2023
Season 24 of The Voice is heating up, as the hopefuls look to nail down their places in the competition during the battle rounds.
—Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 18 Oct. 2023
Cowboys stars nailed down the 20-17 victory in the Kroenke Dome in front of a mostly pro-Dallas crowd.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Oct. 2023
Much of that time was spent nailing down the character of Keith Gill, the Redditor who kicked off the stock rally, who would be played by Paul Dano.
—Vulture, 10 Sep. 2023
The actual partisan impacts are harder to nail down.
—Dante Chinni, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2023
Instead of India, the two leaders may meet around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, conference in San Francisco in November, though no official sit-down has been nailed down yet, two administration officials told NBC News last week.
—Reuters, NBC News, 4 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nail down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 7 Dec. 2023.
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