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

Any attempt to pin down the greatest men’s footballer is therefore futile at best and highly subjective at worst. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 June 2026

Reporters have tried to pin down Shelton and Zoll on the Lee-Lewis conundrum, but the real answer is closer to who knows? —John Shipley, Twin Cities, 2 June 2026

And researchers are still trying to pin down which actions reduce exposure. —Mara Hoplamazian, NPR, 2 June 2026

Even the protein’s molecular weight isn’t pinned down. —Sara Talpos — Undark, STAT, 1 June 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