nail down
phrasal verb
nailed down; nailing down; nails down
1
: to make (something, such as a victory) certain to happen
They need to score another touchdown to nail down the victory.
2
: to find out or identify (something) exactly
Her doctors haven't yet been able to nail down a diagnosis.
They're trying to nail down the cause of our network problems.
3
: to make (something) definite or final
nail down a decision
Examples of nail down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The address pole does a lot to nail down the setting, too.
—
Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 28 Mar. 2025
With his role as the antagonist in Creed III and a turn as the supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the horizon, Majors had already nailed down the blockbuster side of his résumé.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump's team has been meeting with representatives for Moscow and Kyiv separately to nail down a ceasefire and a framework for a peace deal that could permanently end the war.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s been much harder for economists to nail down economic forecasts.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 28 Mar. 2025
With his role as the antagonist in Creed III and a turn as the supervillain Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the horizon, Majors had already nailed down the blockbuster side of his résumé.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2025
Trump's team has been meeting with representatives for Moscow and Kyiv separately to nail down a ceasefire and a framework for a peace deal that could permanently end the war.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2025
Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s been much harder for economists to nail down economic forecasts.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
Cite this Entry
“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.
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