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 there's so much more to it that can't be pinned down.
—
Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
While last week’s celebrity beauty trends couldn’t be pinned down, this week, one thing couldn’t be stated more: wet your hair.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
However, maneuvering like a pilot with more than 7,000 hours in jets and ex-military aircraft, entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman dodged most of their questions and would not be pinned down.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
Most small businesses don’t import goods themselves, and even for those that do, figuring out which products are hit and by how much can be hard to pin down.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pin down
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Katherine Polcari, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2025
While last week’s celebrity beauty trends couldn’t be pinned down, this week, one thing couldn’t be stated more: wet your hair.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 14 Apr. 2025
However, maneuvering like a pilot with more than 7,000 hours in jets and ex-military aircraft, entrepreneur and private astronaut Jared Isaacman dodged most of their questions and would not be pinned down.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
Most small businesses don’t import goods themselves, and even for those that do, figuring out which products are hit and by how much can be hard to pin down.
—Brandon Kochkodin, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
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 1 May. 2025.
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