nail down

phrasal verb

nailed down; nailing down; nails down

: to make (something, such as a victory) certain to happen

They need to score another touchdown to nail down the victory.

: 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.

: to make (something) definite or final

nail down a decision

Examples of nail down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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So the early parts of the documentary focus on them getting ready — rehearsing, meeting new collaborators, nailing down a set list. —

Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Oct. 2024 Going the quantitative route ended up providing interesting folly but did not nail down the answer. —

Lance Eliot, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Commanders, officers and soldiers sold everything not nailed down at their bases — lightbulbs, steel rods, electrical cables. —

Sarah A. Topol, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2024 Sometimes there are warning signs Mental health professionals and researchers still haven’t nailed down how to totally predict with certainty who’s at risk for attempting suicide, and whether or when vulnerable people will do it, experts said. —

Kristen Rogers, CNN, 4 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for nail down