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

That baseline is harder to pin down in 2026. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 20 Apr. 2026

But the 20 Feet From Stardom filmmaker is probably best known for his portraits of artists who can sometimes be difficult, enigmatic, reluctant to open up, and often hard to pin down. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026

The board partnered with the consulting firm Alma Advisory Group to develop a candidate profile and pin down the ideal candidates. —Adam Thompson, CBS News, 20 Apr. 2026

With more than ninety works, the galleries are thronged with beauties, many of whom refuse to be pinned down to a gender. —Vince Aletti, New Yorker, 17 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