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
That sounds good, too, albeit in a way that is hard to nail down.
—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
Two, to continue to work on where these museums will be sited, to work with Congress, to work with the new administrations, to get that nailed down.
—Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
Claims of being able to nail down an exact date and time are spurious and carry with them a huge amount of uncertainty.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
To nail down the tense emotions needed, Wang’s instinct was to dive right in, no practice required, while Chen took a more seasoned approach.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nail down 
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.
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, The Athletic, 14 Jan. 2025
Two, to continue to work on where these museums will be sited, to work with Congress, to work with the new administrations, to get that nailed down.
—Kayla Randall, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Jan. 2025
Claims of being able to nail down an exact date and time are spurious and carry with them a huge amount of uncertainty.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
To nail down the tense emotions needed, Wang’s instinct was to dive right in, no practice required, while Chen took a more seasoned approach.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 22 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for nail down
Dictionary Entries Near nail down
Cite this Entry
“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share