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

Different elements such as oxygen and hydrogen emit light at very specific wavelengths; discerning such details allows astronomers to nail down an object’s actual redshift—and thus its true distance—with excellent accuracy. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 19 June 2026

Conversations with Chiarella helped Clausen nail down the technical elements of his performance, practicing disingenuous smiles and blank eyes. — Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026

Nor is Liam, an itinerant drifter who juggles whatever trade is on offer but perhaps hasn’t nailed down any single one of them. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 June 2026

The Washington Nationals had already taken the lead earlier in the fifth inning, but Crews’s three-run home run helped nail down a 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. — Danielle Allentuck, Washington Post, 16 June 2026

Rhymes for nail down

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