pin down
Save This Word!
verb (tr, adverb)
to force (someone) to make a decision or carry out a promise
to define clearlyhe had a vague suspicion that he couldn't quite pin down
to confine to a placethe fallen tree pinned him down
QUIZ
QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!
Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.
Question 1 of 7
“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.
Words nearby pin down
Pindaric ode, pinder, pindling, pindolol, pindo palm, pin down, Pindus, pine, pineal, pineal apparatus, pineal body
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
How to use pin down in a sentence
Other Idioms and Phrases with pin down
pin down
Fix or establish clearly, as in The firefighters finally were able to pin down the source of the odor. [Mid-1900s]
Force someone to give precise information or opinions, as in The reporter pinned down the governor on the issue of conservation measures. [c. 1700]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.