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
There might be a revenue number or team size tied to that, but those metrics are hard to nail down.
—
Dave Knox, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The 34-year-old – who won this year’s Indianapolis Open – led the way in final qualifying in Washington recently after shooting consecutive rounds of 68 to nail down one of only two spots available for this year’s US Open and earn himself a place in the 156-strong field.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
But given her busy schedule, Burke said, it’s been a hard date to nail down.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 4 June 2025
The items are permanently nailed down or secured in order to prevent Houseguests from moving pieces.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Dave Knox, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
The 34-year-old – who won this year’s Indianapolis Open – led the way in final qualifying in Washington recently after shooting consecutive rounds of 68 to nail down one of only two spots available for this year’s US Open and earn himself a place in the 156-strong field.
—Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 11 June 2025
But given her busy schedule, Burke said, it’s been a hard date to nail down.
—Bailey Richards, People.com, 4 June 2025
The items are permanently nailed down or secured in order to prevent Houseguests from moving pieces.
—Caroline Blair, People.com, 11 July 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 6 Aug. 2025.
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