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

The sheer scope of Christian belief systems makes attitudes to aliens among believers difficult to pin down, Eire says. — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 29 Oct. 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

The band struggled to pin down the final track list, finalizing it barely a month ago. — Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026

The program has been under consideration for some time, Fujitsu says, and its aim is not to pin down what women bring to animation that was previously absent. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 26 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