pin down

verb

pinned down; pinning down; pins down

transitive verb

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

While Constance’s men pin down Fiona, Dahlia is brought out, and Fiona sees how much pain her daughter is in. —Barry Levitt, Time, 4 Dec. 2025

Neil Clifford pinned down the company’s chief to get career advice—and immediately took it, saying yes to moving to a whole new city for a promotion. —Sydney Lake, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2025

They're being used to pin down 3I/ATLAS's exact position on the sky with exquisite precision. —Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 2 Dec. 2025

Then, prosecutors say, Geyser and Weier pinned down Leutner before Geyser stabbed her 19 times. —Mirna Alsharif, NBC news, 29 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1765, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pin down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown