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nail set

American

noun

a short rod of steel used to drive a nail below or flush with a surface.

nail set British

noun

a punch for driving the head of a nail below or flush with the surrounding surface

"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

Etymology

Origin of nail set

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In return, she will show me the new gel nail set her local nail tech did on her too.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2024

The nail set featured gaudy silver sequins, red gems and gold hamsa hands on each nail.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2024

Before that, I had a mermaid-inspired gel nail set that glistened like when the sun beats on tropical waters.

From Salon • Aug. 11, 2024

If the nails are still in place and straight, you might be able to press them in and seat them with a hammer and nail set.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 10, 2020

Take a stippling tool—if no such tool is at hand, a cup-pointed nail set will do—and stamp the background.

From The Boy Mechanic: Volume 1 700 Things for Boys to Do by Popular Mechanics Co.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023