nail
Americannoun
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nails
plural
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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.
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a thin, horny plate, consisting of modified epidermis, growing on the upper side of the end of a finger or toe.
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a former measure of length for cloth, equal to 2.25 inches (5.7 centimeters).
verb (used with object)
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nails,
present (3rd person singular)
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nailed,
past participle, past
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nailing
present participle
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to fasten with a nail or nails.
to nail the cover on a box.
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to enclose or confine (something) by nailing (often followed byup ).
to nail up oranges in a crate.
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to make fast or keep firmly in one place or position.
Surprise nailed him to the spot.
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to accomplish perfectly.
the only gymnast to nail the dismount.
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Informal.
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to secure by prompt action; catch or seize.
The police nailed him with the goods.
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to catch (a person) in some difficulty, lie, etc.
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to detect and expose (a lie, scandal, etc.).
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Slang. to hit (a person).
He nailed him on the chin with an uppercut in the first round.
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to focus intently on an object or subject.
She kept her eyes nailed on the suspicious customer.
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Obsolete. to stud with or as if with nails.
verb phrase
idioms
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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.
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on the nail,
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of present interest; under discussion.
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without delay; on the spot; at once.
He was offered a job on the nail.
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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.
noun
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a fastening device usually made from round or oval wire, having a point at one end and a head at the other
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anything resembling such a fastening device, esp in function or shape
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the horny plate covering part of the dorsal surface of the fingers or toes See fingernail toenail
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the claw of a mammal, bird, or reptile
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slang a hypodermic needle, used for injecting drugs
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a unit of length, formerly used for measuring cloth, equal to two and a quarter inches
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an experience or event that tends to shorten life or hasten the end of something
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to chew off the ends of one's fingernails
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to be worried or apprehensive
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in tough physical condition
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without sentiment or feelings
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to do or say something correct or telling
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(of payments) at once (esp in the phrase pay on the nail )
verb
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to attach with or as if with nails
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informal to arrest or seize
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informal to hit or bring down, as with a shot
I nailed the sniper
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informal to expose or detect (a lie or liar)
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to fix or focus (one's eyes, attention, etc) on an object
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to stud with nails
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nailernoun
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renailverb (used with object)
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nail-lessadjective
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naillessadjective
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naillikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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nailsimple
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nailssimple
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have nailedperfect
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has nailedperfect
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am nailingprogressive
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are nailingprogressive
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is nailingprogressive
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have been nailingperfect progressive
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has been nailingperfect progressive
Past
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nailedsimple
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had nailedperfect
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was nailingprogressive
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were nailingprogressive
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had been nailingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
A nail is the pointed piece of metal that you pound with a hammer when you're building something. When you go to a nail salon, however, don't bring a pack of nails; bring your toes and fingers instead! When construction workers pound nails into wood, they nail them. Another kind of nail is the one at the end of each of your fingers and toes. In addition to hitting a nail, the verb version of nail also means "to arrest," "to succeed easily," and "to hit." Nail polish is what you use to color the nails on your hands (or feet), and when you "hit the nail on the head," you get the exact right answer.
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.
See Examples For:
This relatively cooler planet helps us better characterize and nail down this transition.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
He was a hammer meeting a nail, traveling to the run down parts of towns all over America to shore things up — to entertain rather than win over audiences.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Here are five ways to help you nail your presentation or speech.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
A 2022 paper also identified higher levels of toxic metals associated with crude oil in the nail clippings of people living near the site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Ophie stood, her hands instinctively going to the bundle of salt and the iron nail she kept with her.
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
While the border with China employs traps embedded with nails, the border with South Korea has explosive mines, said Choi Shi-woo, a North Korean defector heading NAUH, a nonprofit organization that aids escapees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Concerns about his age resurfaced two years ago following an accident in the palace bathroom—he fell while cutting his nails and underwent emergency surgery to drain a brain bleed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
One climbed a ladder with a fistful of nails.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
Others point out bare nails often demand their own time-consuming and costly routine.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
In their twenties, with painted nails and freshly curled hair.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Latitude could be read from the stars, but longitude required something that nailed down time more precisely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
He nailed several boards together to create a makeshift coffin for the limb.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
And Gasly and his team absolutely nailed qualifying, while all the usual leading contenders had scrappy sessions one way or another.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
It was on line and probably would have nailed the hustling Gantner but John cut it off, then threw wildly past catcher Don Slaught and into the Brewers’ dugout as Gantner scored.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Her sons had nailed plywood sheets to the windows and along the front of her house, so that the only way in was the back door leading to the latrine, barn, and pigsty.
From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago
But he found a groove in the third session, second fastest by just 0.043secs and then nailing a beauty of a final lap.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
Lee is known for making some bold and accurate calls, advising investors to buy stocks during pandemic lows and nailing the 2023 bull market.
From MarketWatch ● May 1, 2026
Alloway praises the Philadelphia-born Pedretti for nailing Cherry’s comedic moments yet also grounding the character in a traumatic backstory — a balancing act the director knew she was capable of after watching “Hill House.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
"I think for us, it's always about nailing those specialist positions," said Erasmus.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
Every afternoon for the next three days, the four of us gathered in Becca’s backyard to continue hammering and nailing those pieces of plywood together.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
