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
Kevin De Bruyne barely plays anymore and is out of contract in June, Jack Grealish cannot nail down a place in the team and has not featured in the two matches since being pictured out drinking with friends, Ederson wanted to leave last summer and could go this time around.
—
Sam Lee, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
In February, Nivola told PEOPLE exclusively that Isaacs actually nailed down his Southern cadence by watching a popular Bravo reality show.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025
The UConn women have a fairly important game against Creighton on Thursday, a chance to nail down another Big East regular season title, but the conversation on Tuesday was about Taurasi, who last played in 2004.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2025
But there's a complication in astronomers' attempts to nail down the asteroid's path.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nail down
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Sam Lee, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
In February, Nivola told PEOPLE exclusively that Isaacs actually nailed down his Southern cadence by watching a popular Bravo reality show.
—Liza Esquibias, People.com, 10 Mar. 2025
The UConn women have a fairly important game against Creighton on Thursday, a chance to nail down another Big East regular season title, but the conversation on Tuesday was about Taurasi, who last played in 2004.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2025
But there's a complication in astronomers' attempts to nail down the asteroid's path.
—Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 6 Feb. 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 24 Mar. 2025.
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