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
Other provisions pin down how states designate electors, in order to eliminate the possibility of fakes crashing the Electoral College.
—
The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Bob Dunn, 68, was struck and pinned down by an alder tree that was roughly 20 inches in diameter.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
In his 291-page tome, Routh bristled at being pinned down as a political partisan.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2024
The internet has made culture available to adults that are pinned down by life.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pin down 
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The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024
Bob Dunn, 68, was struck and pinned down by an alder tree that was roughly 20 inches in diameter.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
In his 291-page tome, Routh bristled at being pinned down as a political partisan.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 17 Sep. 2024
The internet has made culture available to adults that are pinned down by life.
—Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Oct. 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 22 Nov. 2024.
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