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

Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have made that pinning down the exact start of his trade war a bit tricky. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025

Achane claiming to be 100% ahead of the season opener, Gordon’s usage will be hard to pin down before kickoff. —Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025

As the attentions of the younger and chronically online become harder to pin down, Range Media Partners has announced a new division, Awareness Creation, meant to target younger audiences for clients that run the gamut from entertainment to sports to brands. —Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025

Today, vacations are harder to pin down. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 4 Sep. 2025

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