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

Planning and Development Commissioner Ciere Boatright said leaders across the city are having weekly calls to pin down security, infrastructure and management plans. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026

Sentences contain particles of meaning that resist being pinned down and measured, instead combining and transforming into mysterious waves of story that take us beyond the limits of our own horizons. —Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026

Kicking off his monologue, Domingo acknowledged that after three decades in the business, his resume can be a little hard to pin down. —Kennedy French, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026

But any animal will bite if pinned down. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 12 Apr. 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