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

There’s a certain je ne se quai to French girl dressing that’s hard to pin down, but Karlie Kloss’s latest look captures its essence perfectly. — Kaitlin Clapinski, InStyle, 11 July 2026

England’s approach at this World Cup has been difficult to pin down. — Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 10 July 2026

Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late. — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

As the officer is pinned down, one person repeatedly punches her in the head while another appears to strike her with an unidentified object before a second officer intervenes. — Greg Wehner, FOXNews.com, 6 July 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