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

But until now, scientists hadn’t pinned down exactly how that happened at the level of individual proteins in our cells. —Jacek Krywko, Scientific American, 25 Mar. 2026

In the film a doctor explains that there are times when physicians aren’t able to pin down a diagnosis or there are multiple diagnoses. —Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026

What the joke is, though, is harder to pin down. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 19 Mar. 2026

Windley and his family did their own investigations after his conviction to pin down the identity of the two robbers and pressure them to do the right thing and confess, hiring a private investigator to help them. —John Annese, New York Daily News, 16 Mar. 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