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
Ancient people tried the recipes many times before nailing down a method, Durgun said.
—
Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Details on Mateer’s deal are harder to nail down.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2025
Details on Mateer’s deal are harder to nail down.
—Chris Vannini, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
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
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 23 Oct. 2025.
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