NAILED Synonyms: 252 Similar and Opposite Words

nailed

verb

past tense of nail

as in hit

to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner the boxer nailed his opponent with a devastating left hook

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Relevance

as in decided

to make final, definite, or beyond dispute this latest infidelity nails it—I'm filing for divorce

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in exposed

to reveal the true nature of an investigative report that nailed the teenage novelist as someone who had plagiarized the works of others

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as in arrested

to take or keep under one's control by authority of law the very first time I tried to steal anything, I got nailed

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as in grabbed

to take physical control or possession of (something) suddenly or forcibly the running back saw the pass coming in and nailed it

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nailed Pfeiffer got a pass on the right edge of the box, cut inside and nailed a shot with her left foot. — Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 Carey nailed her first two tumbling passes, drawing roars from her home crowd. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Madelynn took pictures of me standing beside a sign nailed to a scaly tree. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026 Corbin then nailed his End of Days finishing maneuver on Williams and pinned him for the win. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026 The wearer of the yellow jersey was nailed on for another win, this time in a bunch sprint instead of a reduced pack. — Jessica Hopkins, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nailed

Verb

Moehrig responded with 103 tackles — one off his 2024 total — while establishing career highs with 14 tackles for loss, three sacks and seven quarterback hits.

— Joseph Person, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
The height of hurricane season looms, and Gulf Coast refineries have in the past been derailed by major hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast.

— Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of hit

Verb

The merch was originally made for OpenAI employees to purchase on an internal site, but the team decided to make a small capsule collection available to the public.

— T.M. Brown, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026
At the time, Valli’s rep told Variety in a statement that the musician decided to cancel the shows instead of rescheduling them so that his fans with tickets would not be stuck in limbo.

— Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of decided

Verb

The second half belonged entirely to Nashville, which exposed Miami’s disorganized defense.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026
Ammonium salts break down quickly when exposed to humid air, forcing factories to build expensive production lines filled with inert gas.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of exposed

Verb

Hal is arrested, per his plan, as John meets and sleeps with a mysterious woman, Zoe (Poorna Jagannathan), and uses Hal’s ring to light her cigarette after the fact.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026
He was arrested in Orlando in March 2023 on charges including first-degree murder and solicitation to commit a capital felony.

— Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of arrested

Verb

Reyes allegedly grabbed her by the hair and started to punch her multiple times.

— CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Soon after, the Macklowe Gallery owners sold that place and grabbed a rental across from Lincoln Center, spending their time traveling, working, and enjoying a wonderfully free, untethered life.

— Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

Taylor Trammell then smacked his first triple of the year off the brick wall in right field before Allen sent him home with the go-ahead run off Keaton Winn (2-3).

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
When Cunningham went up, Carrington jumped and smacked her in the face.

— Scott Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of smacked

Verb

The plan’s success, or lack thereof, can’t be determined until the end of the season, but Sutton on Friday certainly looked like a player who benefited from a couple of days of light work.

— Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Altus Power, the owner of the solar panels, said that the cause of the fire had not been determined.

— Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of determined

Verb

The footage Loznitsa uncovered at Rome’s Audiovisual Archive of the Labour and Democratic Movement left him marvelling at the contrast with official Soviet productions from the same era.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 17 Aug. 2026
Walz ended his campaign for a third term in January after succumbing to scrutiny about systemic fraud uncovered in his state’s social services program.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 17 Aug. 2026