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
Entire villages have been relocated, although it's hard to pin down the number or what compensation residents were offered.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
More than two centuries after scientists began trying to measure it precisely, that seemingly simple constant remains one of the most difficult numbers in physics to pin down.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Many described “a chill” in the literary world that is hard to pin down because it’s hard to prove a negative.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The universe is hard to pin down; it changes when you look at it, as if it resists being known.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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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.
