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
But Perardi could never nail down its provenance.
—
Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
The agency has already sought public comment and is working on nailing down final regulations for the program set to begin at the start of next year.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 30 Jan. 2026
The city hasn't nailed down any dates, but plans to hold about five public outreach meetings.
—Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Max Domi has had his spot there nailed down for the last month.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Matthew Bremner, Rolling Stone, 11 Feb. 2026
The agency has already sought public comment and is working on nailing down final regulations for the program set to begin at the start of next year.
—Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 30 Jan. 2026
The city hasn't nailed down any dates, but plans to hold about five public outreach meetings.
—Kayla Moeller, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026
Max Domi has had his spot there nailed down for the last month.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
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 14 Feb. 2026.
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