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
Western estimates typically come in slightly lower than Kyiv's tally, although battlefield casualties are very hard to pin down.
—
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Take it up with them, but try to pin down why the present arrangement isn’t working instead of playing the blame game.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2024
Musk’s politics, by comparison, are harder to pin down.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
Three fellow passengers helped the flight attendant and pinned down the man.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pin 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.
Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2024
Take it up with them, but try to pin down why the present arrangement isn’t working instead of playing the blame game.
—Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 3 Nov. 2024
Musk’s politics, by comparison, are harder to pin down.
—Simon Shuster, TIME, 21 Nov. 2024
Three fellow passengers helped the flight attendant and pinned down the man.
—Drake Bentley, Journal Sentinel, 20 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pin down
Dictionary Entries Near pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share