pin down
Britishverb
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to force (someone) to make a decision or carry out a promise
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to define clearly
he had a vague suspicion that he couldn't quite pin down
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to confine to a place
the fallen tree pinned him down
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Fix or establish clearly, as in The firefighters finally were able to pin down the source of the odor . [Mid-1900s]
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Force someone to give precise information or opinions, as in The reporter pinned down the governor on the issue of conservation measures . [c. 1700]
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.
Details about Alice Huang's life are vague, making it almost impossible to pin down where she lives, where she works, or when she was born.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026
The wealth of those who sit at the top of the secretive North Korean dictatorship is just as hard to pin down as the country's economic figures.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
These are likely undercounts given how hard it is to pin down exactly what counts as “guidance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
It is also why, as a filmmaker, he has often been hard to pin down.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Christina and I have been sitting against one of the walls, playing a game in which each of us tries to pin down the other s thumb.
From "Insurgent" by Veronica Roth
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
