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
Cross also pulled from her own memories on set with her dad to nail down the feeling of Dax and Will’s childhood show, Marnie, Maybe.
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Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Weather needs manpower Hurricane forecasting is a race against the clock, with specialists working to nail down exactly where and when a storm will make landfall, so emergency managers and other officials can evacuate coasts and keep people safe.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Still, investors are skeptical whether risk modelers will ever nail down all the variables behind fires like the ones in Los Angeles.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
Ask him to sit out? More than likely, the decision isn’t nailed down until the eve of the tournament.
—Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nail down 
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Carly Tagen-Dye, People.com, 8 Feb. 2025
Weather needs manpower Hurricane forecasting is a race against the clock, with specialists working to nail down exactly where and when a storm will make landfall, so emergency managers and other officials can evacuate coasts and keep people safe.
—Ella Nilsen, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
Still, investors are skeptical whether risk modelers will ever nail down all the variables behind fires like the ones in Los Angeles.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 22 Jan. 2025
Ask him to sit out? More than likely, the decision isn’t nailed down until the eve of the tournament.
—Jonas Siegel, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for nail down
Dictionary Entries Near nail down
Cite this Entry
“Nail down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nail%20down. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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