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
But with the time frame being spread out over 17 years, changes in material and labor costs — in addition to length of service, depth surface restoration, and utility conflicts — make specific numbers harder to pin down.
—
Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Using armored vehicles, Snow said the agencies were able to safely extricate officers who were pinned down behind their patrol cars.
—Robert McGreevy , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Here, Elliott Gould brings a deft touch to his hang-dog detective Philip Marlowe, moving with a lightness that's hard to pin down but is undeniably comic.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
The current number of near-collisions is tough to pin down, as FAA data on drone-aircraft encounters is limited and difficult to verify.
—Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pin down
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Hank Beckman, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2026
Using armored vehicles, Snow said the agencies were able to safely extricate officers who were pinned down behind their patrol cars.
—Robert McGreevy , Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026
Here, Elliott Gould brings a deft touch to his hang-dog detective Philip Marlowe, moving with a lightness that's hard to pin down but is undeniably comic.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
The current number of near-collisions is tough to pin down, as FAA data on drone-aircraft encounters is limited and difficult to verify.
—Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for pin down
Cite this Entry
“Pin down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pin%20down. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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