pin down

verb

pinned down; pinning down; pins down

transitive verb

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

Her biggest mistake so far was not waiting for Eleanor to arrive before aiming that rifle with its laser sights at Laila, because now they’re both pinned down, taking heavy fire from their supremely pissed-off would-be target. — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 5 Nov. 2026

Reliable’s software runs those and various other measurements through specialized algorithmic filters to pin down exactly where its own plane is and adapt accordingly. — Peter Hall, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2026

For days, Mazur was pinned down in his home on the west bank of the Dnieper River with his wife and children, unable to reach the Nadiya clinic, which amid the chaos paused operations. — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026

Officers were dispatched to a situation where they were pinned down by gunfire while three children were held hostage by a gunman. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pin down

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