pin down
verb
pinned down; pinning down; pins down
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
Devoy was impressed with how Glotzbach was able to bounce back from all of the adversity and pin down the victory for Lemont.
—
Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
This suggests that while there may be patient circumstances where methylene blue is beneficial, researchers have not yet pinned down what those are.
—Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
That’s tougher to pin down, since Joe, on the one hand, is the character we’re asked to identify with, but Phoenix plays him as a shambolic screw-up, earnest and benign but basically a walking mess.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
On Saturday, May 24, a mother allegedly walked into a hotel room to find Pierce pinning down her 12-year-old daughter with a gun in his hand, according to Fox 59 and WTHR, citing court documents.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pin down
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Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2025
This suggests that while there may be patient circumstances where methylene blue is beneficial, researchers have not yet pinned down what those are.
—Lorne J. Hofseth, The Conversation, 3 June 2025
That’s tougher to pin down, since Joe, on the one hand, is the character we’re asked to identify with, but Phoenix plays him as a shambolic screw-up, earnest and benign but basically a walking mess.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
On Saturday, May 24, a mother allegedly walked into a hotel room to find Pierce pinning down her 12-year-old daughter with a gun in his hand, according to Fox 59 and WTHR, citing court documents.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 30 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 15 Jun. 2025.
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