pin down
verb
pinned down; pinning down; pins down
1
: to cause or force (someone) to make a definite statement or decision about something
Reporters tried to pin him down on the specific changes he wants to make to the tax laws.
2
: to find out (something) with certainty
Can you pin down when the change occurred?
I'm trying to pin the source of the problem down.
Examples of pin down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although blame for the incidents has been very difficult to pin down, NATO officials and experts say Russia is well-versed in hybrid warfare.
—
MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Numbers for Mamdani are harder to pin down.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Police still haven't pinned down if the dispute the attacker had was with Boyd's group or another group that was there.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
But Akins added that the timeline for each trend's momentum is hard to pin down.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pin down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
Numbers for Mamdani are harder to pin down.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 21 Nov. 2025
Police still haven't pinned down if the dispute the attacker had was with Boyd's group or another group that was there.
—Mark Prussin, CBS News, 17 Nov. 2025
But Akins added that the timeline for each trend's momentum is hard to pin down.
—Krysta Escobar, CNBC, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 30 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share