nail

[ neyl ]

/ neɪl /

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See synonyms for: nail / nailed on Thesaurus.com

noun

a slender, typically rod-shaped rigid piece of metal, usually in any of numerous standard lengths from a fraction of an inch to several inches and having one end pointed and the other enlarged and flattened, for hammering into or through wood, other building materials, etc., as used in building, in fastening, or in holding separate pieces together.

a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.

a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2.25 inches (5.7 centimeters).

verb (used with object)

to fasten with a nail or nails: to nail the cover on a box.

to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed by up): to nail up oranges in a crate.

to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position: Surprise nailed him to the spot.

to accomplish perfectly: the only gymnast to nail the dismount.

Informal.

to secure by prompt action; catch or seize: The police nailed him with the goods.
to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.
to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).

Slang. to hit (a person): He nailed him on the chin with an uppercut in the first round.

to focus intently on an object or subject: She kept her eyes nailed on the suspicious customer.

Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.

Verb Phrases

nail down, to make final; settle once and for all: Signing the contract will nail down our agreement.

OTHER WORDS FOR nail

5 fix, secure, pin, fasten.

See synonyms for nail on Thesaurus.com

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have

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Idioms about nail

hit the nail on the head, to say or do exactly the right thing; be accurate or correct: Your analysis really hit the nail on the head.

nail in someone's / something's coffin, something that hastens the demise or failure of a person or thing: Every moment's delay is another nail in his coffin.

on the nail, Informal.

of present interest; under discussion.
without delay; on the spot; at once: He was offered a job on the nail.

Origin of nail

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun) nail, nayl, Old English nægl, cognate with Old Frisian neil, Old Saxon, Old High German nagal, Dutch nagel, German Nagel, Old Norse nagl “fingernail,” all from unattested Germanic naglaz; akin as derivative to Lithuanian nãgas, nagà “hoof,” Old Prussian nage “foot,” Old Church Slavonic noga “leg, foot” (Serbo-Croatian nòga, Czech noha, Polish noga, Russian nogá; probably originally a jocular reference to the foot as a hoof), Old Church Slavonic nogŭtĭ, Tocharian A maku, Tocharian B mekwa “fingernail, claw,” all from unattested North European Indo-European ənogwh-; further akin to Old Irish ingen, Welsh ewin, Breton ivin, from unattested Celtic ṇgwhīnā,Latin unguis, from unattested Italo-Celtic əngwhi-;Greek ónyx, stem onych-, Sanskrit áṅghri- “foot” from unattested áṅghli-; Armenian ełungn, from unattested onogwh-;Middle English (verb) nail(e), nayle, Old English næglian, cognate with Old Saxon neglian, Old High German negilen, Old Norse negla, from unattested Germanic nagl-janan; compare Gothic ganagljan

OTHER WORDS FROM nail

nailless, adjectivenaillike, adjectivere·nail, verb (used with object)

Words nearby nail

NAI, naiad, NAIC, Naida, naïf, nail, nail bar, nail bed, nail-biter, nail-biting, nail bomb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use nail in a sentence

This attributes to those awful side effects including hair loss, darkening of finger nails, etc.
The Anatomy Of A Breast Cancer Survivor: ‘Early Detection Saved My Life’|Charli Penn|October 6, 2020|Essence.com
Her red lip and nail combination really helped me get into character-it was classic old Hollywood glam.
Here’s The Beauty Routine Behind Laura Harrier’s Flawless Skin|Allison McGevna|October 5, 2020|Essence.com
Chicago dentist Maxwell Lappe had created an artificial fingernail for nail biters called Nu Nails in 1934.
The Unlikely History of Acrylic Nails|Joshua Eferighe|September 30, 2020|Ozy
Air- and heat-activated polish sealant as well as UV-cured gels, standard tools in the nail professional’s arsenal, also owe their origins to this former dentist.
The Unlikely History of Acrylic Nails|Joshua Eferighe|September 30, 2020|Ozy

Here we are 10 years later, and they have not even gotten to all of them, and the ones they have gotten to, the industry has fought tooth and nail.
Gas explosions keep killing people, and the US government won’t step in|By Jeremy Deaton/Nexus Media News|September 29, 2020|Popular-Science
But on Tuesday, we saw another nail hammered into the already pretty tightly nailed down coffin of the two-state solution.
In the Middle East, the Two-State Solution Is Dead|Dean Obeidallah|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The CID speculated that the woman was confirming who lived there before planting a homemade nail bomb.
Abu Dhabi Treats U.S. Teacher’s Murder as Terrorist Attack|Chris Allbritton|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
MOSCOW—Every now and then I run into Anna Chapman at a nail salon called “Little Fingers” on Potapovsky Avenue in downtown Moscow.
Ex-Spy Anna Chapman, From Russia Unloved|Anna Nemtsova|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Along the way, he accidentally embeds a nail in his foot, which is not symbolic at all.
The Walking Dead’s ‘Crossed’: The Stage Is Now Set for a Bloody, Deadly Midseason Finale|Melissa Leon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The phrase means, “the nail that sticks out always gets hit by a hammer.”
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun|Katie Baker|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Piegan snorted when I told him we were on the dodge—that they were trying to nail us for holding up the paymaster.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
"Well, as far as public opinion goes, I s'pose Tom has hit the nail on the head," observed Bill.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman
He pulled his heavy sweater down off a nail and put it on, scowling because the sleeves had to be pulled in place on his arms.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
He disliked the look of Cash's rough coat and sweater and cap, that hung on a nail over Cash's bunk.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
You,” said I. “You drive a nail as if it were an abstruse problem in differential calculus.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton

British Dictionary definitions for nail

nail

/ (neɪl) /

noun

a fastening device usually made from round or oval wire, having a point at one end and a head at the other

anything resembling such a fastening device, esp in function or shape

the horny plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the fingers or toesSee fingernail, toenail Related adjectives: ungual, ungular

the claw of a mammal, bird, or reptile

slang a hypodermic needle, used for injecting drugs

a unit of length, formerly used for measuring cloth, equal to two and a quarter inches

a nail in one's coffin an experience or event that tends to shorten life or hasten the end of something

bite one's nails

to chew off the ends of one's fingernails
to be worried or apprehensive

hard as nails

in tough physical condition
without sentiment or feelings

hit the nail on the head to do or say something correct or telling

on the nail (of payments) at once (esp in the phrase pay on the nail)

verb (tr)

to attach with or as if with nails

informal to arrest or seize

informal to hit or bring down, as with a shotI nailed the sniper

informal to expose or detect (a lie or liar)

to fix or focus (one's eyes, attention, etc) on an object

to stud with nails

Derived forms of nail

nailer, nounnail-less, adjective

Word Origin for nail

Old English nǣgl; related to Old High German nagal nail, Latin unguis fingernail, claw, Greek onux

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for nail

nail

[ nāl ]

A fingernail or toenail.

A slender rod used in operations to fasten together the divided extremities of a broken bone.

Other Idioms and Phrases with nail

nail

In addition to the idioms beginning with nail

nail down
nail in one's coffin

also see:

bite one's nails
fight tooth and nail
hard as nails
hit the bull's-eye (nail on the head)
on the nail

nail

OTHER WORDS FOR nail

Idioms about nail

Origin of nail

OTHER WORDS FROM nail

Words nearby nail

Words related to nail

How to use nail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for nail

Derived forms of nail

Word Origin for nail

Medical definitions for nail

Other Idioms and Phrases with nail